Anigozanthos

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Anigozanthos
Anigozanthos.flavidus1.jpg
Tall kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos flavidus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Haemodoraceae
Subfamily: Conostylidoideae
Genus: Anigozanthos
Labill.
Type species
Anigozanthos rufus Labill.
Species

Family has about 11 species, and several subspecies are known.

Contents

Anigozanthos is a genus of Southwest Australian plants of the bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. [1] [2] The 11 species and their subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw or catspaw, depending on their size, and the shape and color of their flowers. A further species, previously identified as Anigozanthos fuliginosus (black kangaroo paw), was separated to a monotypic genus as Macropidia fuliginosa .

The species are recognised by their unusual flowers, numerous hybrids and cultivars have been developed for cultivation and floristry in recent years; kangaroo paws are much in demand as house plants and as cut flowers. The red-and-green kangaroo paw is the floral emblem of Western Australia.

Taxonomy

The genus was first named by Jacques Labillardière, a French botanist, in his work, Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse , issued in 1800; [3] he collected and described the type species, Anigozanthos rufus , during the d'Entrecasteaux expedition's visit to Southwest Australia in 1792. [4] However, he does not provide a meaning for this name in his description. C.A. Gardener derived it from the Greek words ἄνισοςánisos "unequal" [5] and ἄνθοςánthos "flower" [6] according to La Billardiere's description of its collective petals as 'irregular' and 'in the form of a tube divided at its extremities into six unequal parts', he assumed the "g" was inserted for euphony. [2]

The common name 'kangaroo paw' was initially given to Anigozanthos manglesii and came to be used for other species of Anigozanthos as they became known. The origin of the name 'catspaw' is uncertain, but presumed to distinguish the compact size of the plant and flowers from others of the genus. Kangaroo paws refers to a grouping of species resembling A. manglesii, with elongated red and green (or green) flowers and greater overall size. [7]

Description

Tall kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos flavidus). Anigozanthos.flavidus2.jpg
Tall kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos flavidus).

These perennials are endemic to dry sandy, siliceous areas of southwest Australia, but they occur as well in a variety of other environments and soil types. They are grown commercially in Australia, the United States, Japan and Israel.

The plant grows from short, underground, horizontal rhizomes. The length and the character of these may vary between the species: some are fleshy, others are fragile. The sap in the root system allows the plants to survive extreme dry spells. In summer, a number of species die back to the rhizome, growing back in autumn.

The plants have a basal rosette of long green to greyish-green leaves. The leaves of some species are hairy. From the heart of this roset merge long leafless stalks, which can reach 2 m, ending in a raceme of flowers. The size and height of these stalks, which can be clothed in coloured hairs, varies between the species.

The tuberous flower buds are also covered with coloured hairs, giving it a velvety aspect. These long furry hairs also determine the colour of the flower, which may range from almost black to yellow, orange and red. Some species are even dichromatic (as Anigozanthos manglesii). The tubular form of the flower bud resembles a kangaroo paw, hence its name. The flower tip spreads fanlike into six petals. Full-grown plants can have up to ten flowers at the end of each stalk.

Species

The genus comprises 11 species, some species with subspecies recognised by FloraBase as rare or endangered taxa. [8]

Commercial hybrids

The popularity of Anigozanthos, as a garden plant or commercially produced cut-flower, has led to the development of cultivars. The Australian Cultivar Registration Authority lists twenty seven registered names and descriptions of cultivars derived from the genus. [9] A larger number of patents for these, accepted or granted 'varieties', are recorded in the Plant breeders' rights database. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haemodoraceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Haemodoraceae is a family of perennial herbaceous flowering plants with 14 genera and 102 known species. It is sometimes known as the "bloodroot family". Primarily a Southern Hemisphere family, they are found in South Africa, Australia and New Guinea, and in the Americas. Perhaps the best known are the widely cultivated and unusual kangaroo paws from Australia, of the two closely related genera Anigozanthos and Macropidia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kangaroo paw</span> Plant species endemic to Western Australia

Kangaroo paw is the common name for a number of species, in two genera of the family Haemodoraceae, that are native to the south-west of Western Australia. These rhizomatous perennial plants are noted for their unique bird-attracting flowers. The tubular flowers are coated with dense hairs and open at the apex with six claw-like structures which resemble kangaroo forelimbs, and it is from this paw-like formation that the common name "kangaroo paw" is derived.

<i>Adenanthos</i> Genus of Australian native shrubs in the flowering plant family Proteaceae

Adenanthos is a genus of Australian native shrubs in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. Variable in habit and leaf shape, it is the only genus in the family where solitary flowers are the norm. It was discovered in 1791, and formally published by Jacques Labillardière in 1805. The type species is Adenanthos cuneatus, and 33 species are recognised. The genus is placed in subfamily Proteoideae, and is held to be most closely related to several South African genera.

<i>Narcissus pseudonarcissus</i> Species of plant

Narcissus pseudonarcissus, commonly named the wild daffodil or Lent lily, is a perennial flowering plant.

<i>Banksia repens</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae native to Western Australia

Banksia repens, the creeping banksia, is a species of shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs on the south coast of Western Australia from D'Entrecasteaux National Park in the west to Mount Ragged in the east.

<i>Anigozanthos manglesii</i> Species of flowering plant

Anigozanthos manglesii, commonly known as the red-and-green kangaroo paw, Mangles' kangaroo paw, kurulbrang (Noongar), is a plant species endemic to Western Australia, and the floral emblem of that state.

<i>Adenanthos sericeus</i> Species of shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia

Adenanthos sericeus, commonly known as woolly bush, is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. It has bright red but small and obscure flowers, and very soft, deeply divided, hairy leaves.

<i>Macropidia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Macropidia fuliginosa, the sole species of genus Macropidia, is a perennial rhizomatous flowering plant. A relation of the kangaroo paws, Anigozanthus, which are also endemic to Southwest Australia, it is referred to as the black kangaroo paw. Bearing unusual black and green flowers, it occurs on a coastal plain from Perth to Geraldton.

<i>Comesperma</i> Genus of flowering plants

Comesperma is a genus of shrubs, herbs and lianas in the family Polygalaceae. The genus is endemic to Australia. It was defined by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière in his 1806 work Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek words come ("hair") and sperma ("seed"), and relates to the seeds bearing tufts of hair. The genus is distributed over southern Australia, particularly in the southwest of Western Australia, where 19 species are found. 24 species have been described.

<i>Conostylis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Conostylis is a genus of perennial herbs in the Haemodoraceae family, commonly known as cone flowers. All species are endemic to the south west of Western Australia.

<i>Anigozanthos humilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Anigozanthos humilis is a species of Anigozanthos in the family Haemodoraceae. This flowering perennial plant is endemic to Southwest Australia and widespread in its open forests. Common names include catspaw and common catspaw.

<i>Adenanthos obovatus</i> Shrub of the family Proteaceae, endemic to southwest Australia

Adenanthos obovatus, commonly known as basket flower, or, jugflower, is a shrub of the plant family Proteaceae endemic to Southwest Australia. Described by French naturalist Jacques Labillardière in 1805, it had first been collected by Archibald Menzies in 1791. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Eurylaema and is most closely related to A. barbiger. A. obovatus has hybridized with A. detmoldii to produce the hybrid A. × pamela. Several common names allude to the prominent red flowers of the species. It grows as a many-stemmed spreading bush up to 1 m (3.3 ft) high, and about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) across, with fine bright green foliage. Made up of single red flowers, the inflorescences appear from April to December, and peak in spring.

<i>Anigozanthos flavidus</i> Species of plant found in Southwest Australia

Anigozanthos flavidus is a species of plant found in Southwest Australia. It is member of the Haemodoraceae family. It is commonly known as the tall, yellow, or evergreen, kangaroo paw. The specific epithet, flavidus, refers to the yellow flowers of this plant.

<i>Olearia phlogopappa</i> Species of flowering plant

Olearia phlogopappa commonly known as the dusty daisy-bush or alpine daisy-bush is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is commonly found in eastern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. It is a small shrub with greyish-green foliage, daisy-like flowers in white, pink or mauve that can be seen from spring to late summer.

<i>Adenanthos cuneatus</i> Shrub of the family Proteaceae native to the south coast of Western Australia

Adenanthos cuneatus, also known as coastal jugflower, flame bush, bridle bush and sweat bush, is a shrub of the family Proteaceae, native to the south coast of Western Australia. The French naturalist Jacques Labillardière originally described it in 1805. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Adenanthos and is most closely related to A. stictus. A. cuneatus has hybridized with four other species of Adenanthos. Growing to 2 m high and wide, it is erect to prostrate in habit, with wedge-shaped lobed leaves covered in fine silvery hair. The single red flowers are insignificant, and appear all year, though especially in late spring. The reddish new growth occurs over the summer.

<i>Adenanthos sericeus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> sericeus</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Adenanthos sericeus subsp. sericeus, commonly known as coastal woollybush, is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. It has bright red but small and obscure flowers, and very soft, deeply divided, hairy leaves. It is the western subspecies of Adenanthos sericeus, occurring mostly in the vicinity of King George Sound.

<i>Anigozanthos rufus</i> Species of flowering plant

Anigozanthos rufus is a grass-like evergreen perennial plant native to the southern coasts of Western Australia. Common names include red kangaroo paw, crimson kangaroo paw, and backdraft.

<i>Anigozanthos viridis</i> Species of flowering plant

Anigozanthos viridis, commonly known as Green Kangaroo Paw, is a grass-like perennial herb native to south western coastal regions of Western Australia. The Noongar peoples know the plant as Koroylbardany.

<i>Anigozanthos bicolor</i> Species of flowering plant

Anigozanthos bicolor, commonly known as cat's paw, little kangaroo paw or two coloured kangaroo paw, is a grass-like perennial herb native to the south western coastal parts of Western Australia.

<i>Anigozanthos onycis</i> Species of flowering plant

Anigozanthos onycis, the branched catspaw, is a rarely seen plant found in Southwest Australia.

References

  1. "Anigozanthos Labill". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Anigozanthos Labill". Florabase—the Western Australian Flora. Western Australian Herbarium. 1998. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  3. "Anigozanthos Labill". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  4. Barker, Robyn (June 2003). "Labillardière, French naturalist extraordinaire" (PDF). Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter. ASBS. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  5. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). "ἄνισος". A Greek-English Lexicon. Perseus Digital Library.
  6. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). "ἄνθος". A Greek-English Lexicon. Perseus Digital Library.
  7. Hopper, Stephen; Wells, B. & B. (photography); Pieroni, M. (illustration) (1993). Kangaroo paws and catspaws; a natural history and field guide. Perth: CALM.
  8. "Anigozanthos". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  9. "List of Registered Cultivars derived from Australian native flora". Australian Cultivar Registration Authority. 2004. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
  10. "Anigozanthos". Plant Breeder's Rights. IP Australia. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
  11. "Anigozanthos Bush Pearl". Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  12. "Anigozanthos Bush Bonanza". Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.