Verticordia serrata

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Verticordia serrata
Verticordia serrata.jpg
Verticordia serrata growing in the Boyagin Nature Reserve near Pingelly
Verticordia serrata - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Verticordia
Subgenus: Verticordia subg. Chrysoma
Section: Verticordia sect. Sigalantha
Species:
V. serrata
Binomial name
Verticordia serrata

Verticordia serrata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spindly or openly branched shrub with hairy, egg-shaped leaves and flowers which are golden at first, then fade to a greyish colour.

Contents

Description

Verticordia serrata is an openly branched shrub which grows to a height of 1.5 m (5 ft) and which usually has one main branch. Its leaves are either elliptic to egg-shaped and 2.5–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long or linear in shape and 6–20 mm (0.2–0.8 in) long, depending on variety, but always have hairy eges. [2]

The flowers are usually scented and are arranged in corymb-like groups on erect stalks from 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long with the longest stalks on the lowest flowers in each group. The floral cup is 0.5–1.0 mm (0.02–0.04 in) long, warty and glabrous. The sepals spread widely, are golden-yellow, turning greyish with age, 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.14 in) long, with 6 to 8 hairy lobes. The petals are a similar colour to the sepals, 2.5–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and egg-shaped with a toothed margin. The style is 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long, straight and glabrous. Flowering time differs, depending on the variety. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described by John Lindley in 1839 and given the name Chrysohoe serrata. The description was published in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony . [3] [4] In 1841, Johannes Conrad Schauer changed the name to Verticordi serrata. [1] [5]

Alex George undertook a review of the genus Verticordia in 1991 and described three varieties of this species: [6]

George placed this species in subgenus Chrysoma, section Sigalantha along with V. integra. [6]

Distribution and habitat

This verticordia occurs in the south-west of Western Australia, each variety with a different range. The most widesread is var. serrata which occurs from near Perth, inland as far as Koonadgin and as far east in coastal areas as Raventhorpe. All grow in sand, often with gravel, loam or clay in shrubland and woodland, often with other species of verticordia. [2]

Conservation

Variety linearis is classified as "Priority Three" [10] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. [11] The other two varieties are classified as "not threatened". [12] [13]

Use in horticulture

All three varieties can be propagated from cuttings, but var. linearis is the easiest to strike. All are described as "ornamental" and "attractive" and also sometimes slow-growing, appear to be hardy when established. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Verticordia huegelii</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia huegelii, commonly known as variegated featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sometimes an erect shrub, sometimes sprawling to almost prostrate. It has linear leaves and very feathery flowers in spring. The flowers are usually cream-coloured or white, becoming pinkish and reddish or maroon as the flowers age, giving a variegated appearance to the display.

<i>Verticordia plumosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia plumosa, commonly known as plumed featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It was the first species in the genus to be described, although initially given the name Chamelaucium plumosum. It is a shrub with linear leaves and rounded groups of scented pink, mauve or white flowers. Two varieties of this species have been declared as being "threatened".

<i>Verticordia acerosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia acerosa is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with yellow flowers which change colour through red to almost black as they age. There are two varieties which vary in their leaf shape, their flower colour and some of the structures in the flower.

<i>Verticordia habrantha</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia habrantha, commonly known as hidden featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a slender shrub with short, leafy side-branches and long flowering stems with rounded heads of mostly white flowers. Its hairy sepals are mostly hidden by the round, unfringed petals, and as a result, the plant looks like shrubs in the genus Chamelaucium, to which it is closely related.

<i>Isopogon buxifolius</i> Species of shrub endemic to the south coast of Western Australia

Isopogon buxifolius is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an upright shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic or oblong leaves and clustered spikes of pink flowers.

<i>Verticordia densiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia densiflora, commonly known as compacted featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves, usually small pink and white flowers and which is widespread in the south-west of the state. It is a variable species and in his 1991 paper, Alex George formally described five varieties.

<i>Verticordia densiflora <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> densiflora</i> Variety of flowering plant

Verticordia densiflora var. densiflora is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and pink or, occasionally white flowers. It is one of 5 varieties of the species Verticordia densiflora.

Verticordia densiflora var. cespitosa is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and pink, or pink and white flowers. It is one of five varieties of the species Verticordia densiflora.

Verticordia densiflora var. pedunculata, commonly known as long-stalked featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and mauve-pink flowers which fade to white. It is one of five varieties of the species Verticordia densiflora and is distinguished from the others by its much longer flower stalks.

Verticordia densiflora var. rosteostella is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and small groups of star-like, yellowish and pink flowers. It is one of 5 varieties of the species Verticordia densiflora.

<i>Verticordia dichroma</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia dichroma is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a much-branched shrub with rounded leaves and spikes of scented, deep red and golden-coloured flowers.

<i>Verticordia endlicheriana</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia endlicheriana is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow leaves and yellow flowers which in some varieties age to red. It is a variable species and in his 1991 paper, Alex George formally described five varieties.

Verticordia endlicheriana var. compacta is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, usually compact shrub with sweetly-perfumed, golden-yellow flowers which fade through reddish to almost black as they age.

Verticordia endlicheriana var. major is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, compact shrub with lightly-scented, lemon-yellow flowers which do not change colour as they age.

<i>Verticordia endlicheriana <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> manicula</i> Variety of flowering plant

Verticordia endlicheriana var. manicula is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a small, compact shrub with sweetly-perfumed, lemon-yellow flowers which change colour through red to brown as they age.

<i>Verticordia etheliana</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia etheliana is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with one highly branched main stem, egg-shaped to almost round leaves and spike-like groups of bright red flowers with greenish-cream centres.

Verticordia lepidophylla is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a bushy shrub with small leaves and spikes of creamish-green to yellow flowers in spikes along the branches in late spring to early summer.

<i>Verticordia lindleyi</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia lindleyi is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is sometimes an openly branched shrub, other times more or less dense, with small leaves and spreading, spike-like groups of pink or purple flowers along the stems in summer, sometimes also in autumn.

Verticordia luteola is a flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a more or less openly branched shrub with crowded leaves on its side branches and spikes of pale yellow or bright pink flowers which turn cream to brownish as they age. This verticordia is a summer-flowering species.

Verticordia sieberi is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with one main stem, often compact but sometimes openly branched and with pink to pale purple flowers in summer and autumn.

References

  1. 1 2 "Verticordia serrata". APNI. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Elizabeth A. (Berndt) George; Margaret Pieroni (illustrator) (2002). Verticordia: the turner of hearts (1st ed.). Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 156–161. ISBN   1-876268-46-8.
  3. "Verticordia serrata". APNI. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  4. Lindley, John (1839). A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony (Appendix). London: James Ridgway. p. 6. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  5. Schauer, Johannes Conrad (1841). Monographia Myrtacearum Xerocarpicarum. p. 222. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 George, Alex (1991). "New taxa, combinations and typifications in Verticordia (Myrtaceae : Chamelaucieae)". Nuytsia. 7 (3): 231–394.
  7. "Verticordia serrata var. serrata". APNI. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  8. "Verticordia serrata var. ciliata". APNI. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  9. "Verticordia serrata var. linearis". APNI. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  10. "Verticordia serrata linearis". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  11. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  12. "Verticordia serrata serrata". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  13. "Verticordia serrata ciliata". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.