Conospermum

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Conospermum
Smoke Bush Towlers Track2.jpg
Conospermum ericifolium
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Subfamily: Proteoideae
Tribe: Conospermeae
Subtribe: Conosperminae
Genus: Conospermum
Sm.

Conospermum is a genus of about 50 species in the family Proteaceae that are endemic to Australia. Members of the genus are known as smokebushes - from a distance, their wispy heads of blue or grey flowers resemble puffs of smoke. They have an unusual pollination method that sometimes leads to the death of visiting insects. They are found in all Australian states, though most occur only in Western Australia. Smokebushes are rarely cultivated, though the flowers of several Western Australian species are harvested for the cut flower industry.

Contents

Description

Conospermum species are shrubs or small trees ranging in height from 0.3 metres (1 ft) to 4 metres (10 ft). The leaves are usually simple, linear or egg-shaped and have margins without teeth. The flowers have both male and female parts, are arranged in heads or spikes of a few to many flowers and are white pink, blue, grey or cream-coloured. The fruit is a small nut usually with a fringe of hairs at its base. [1] [2]

Taxonomy and naming

The genus was first formally described by James Edward Smith in 1798 and the description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London . [3] [4] The name (Conospermum) is from the Ancient Greek words κῶνος (kônos) meaning "cone" [5] : 227  and σπέρμα (spérma) meaning "seed" [5] : 736  referring to the shape of the nut. [1] Members of the genus are commonly known as smokebushes due to the grey flowers resembling smoke arising off the plant. [6] The type species is the long leaf smokebush ( C. longifolium ), [7] though Smith did not get around to describing it until 1806. [6]

Australian botanists Lawrie Johnson and Barbara Briggs placed Conospermum in the subtribe Conosperminae along with the genus Synaphea in their 1975 monograph "On the Proteaceae: the evolution and classification of a southern family". [8] Molecular evidence confirmed the two genera are each other's closest relatives. [9]

Distribution and habitat

Conospermum species are found in all mainland Australian states. Most species occur in the south-west of Western Australia but 6 species occur in New South Wales and one in Tasmania. [10] [11]

Ecology

Members of this genus have flowers that are pollinated by insects. [1] The flowers are unusual in that when they open, the style is compressed. When an insect lands on the flower, the style flicks from one side of the flower to the other, at the same time collecting pollen and adding adhesive to the insect. The fertile anthers then "explode" dusting the insect with pollen. [12] [13] [14] The force of the "flick" can kill small ants and flies. Some bees in the genus Leioproctus ( L. conospermi , L. pappus and L. tomentosus ) feed exclusively on one or two species of Conospermum obtaining both nectar and pollen. Some appear to be camouflaged, having white eyes, milky-coloured wings and bodies covered with white hair. [14] Leioproctus can be considered as closely co-evolved. Other bees are too large to fit inside the unscented tubular flowers of Conospermum, According to a 2020 paper, ant pollination, which is quite rare in plants, is a key component of Conospermum pollination because the plant has overcome the ant's antimicrobial defenses. "Although ants were generalist visitors, they carried a pollen load with 68–86 % of suitable grains. Moreover, ants significantly contributed to the seed set of C. undulatum ." [15] [16]

Use in horticulture

Although not common in horticulture, some members of the genus Conospermum, especially the Western Australian smoke bushes are particularly attractive. The western species are difficult to propagate and the eastern ones are not of great horticultural potential. [17]

Four species—summer smokebush ( C. crassinervium ), plume smokebush ( C. incurvum ), common smokebush ( C. stoechadis ) and tree smokebush ( C. triplinervium )—are used in the cut flower industry. Mostly harvested from the wild, they are difficult to cultivate, [6] although information on growing 6 species on a commercial scale is available. [18]

Species

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palynivore</span> Group of herbivorous animals

In zoology, a palynivore /pəˈlɪnəvɔːɹ/, meaning "pollen eater" is an herbivorous animal which selectively eats the nutrient-rich pollen produced by angiosperms and gymnosperms. Most true palynivores are insects or mites. The category in its strictest application includes most bees, and a few kinds of wasps, as pollen is often the only solid food consumed by all life stages in these insects. However, the category can be extended to include more diverse species. For example, palynivorous mites and thrips typically feed on the liquid content of the pollen grains without actually consuming the exine, or the solid portion of the grain. Additionally, the list is expanded greatly if one takes into consideration species where either the larval or adult stage feeds on pollen, but not both. There are other wasps which are in this category, as well as many beetles, flies, butterflies, and moths. One such example of a bee species that only consumes pollen in its larval stage is the Apis mellifera carnica. There is a vast array of insects that will feed opportunistically on pollen, as will various birds, orb-weaving spiders and other nectarivores.

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

The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentrations of diversity. Together with the Platanaceae, Nelumbonaceae and in the recent APG IV system the Sabiaceae, they make up the order Proteales. Well-known 'Proteaceae genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea, Hakea and Macadamia. Species such as the New South Wales waratah, king protea, and various species of Banksia, Grevillea, and Leucadendron are popular cut flowers. The nuts of Macadamia integrifolia are widely grown commercially and consumed, as are those of Gevuina avellana on a smaller scale.

Triunia is a genus of medium to tall shrubs or small trees found as understorey plants in rainforests of eastern Australia. Members of the plant family Proteaceae, they are notable for their poisonous fleshy fruits or drupes. Only one species, T. youngiana, is commonly seen in cultivation.

<i>Beaufortia</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Beaufortia is a genus of woody shrubs and small trees in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Southwest Australia. The genus Beaufortia is closely related to Melaleuca, Calothamnus, Regelia and several others, differing mainly in the way the anthers are attached to the stalks of the stamens, and in the way they open to release their pollen. Beaufortia anthers are attached at one end and open by splitting at the other.

<i>Conospermum stoechadis</i> Species of Australian shrub in the family Proteaceae

Conospermum stoechadis, commonly known as common smokebush, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.

Conospermum stoechadis subsp. sclerophyllum is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.

<i>Conospermum incurvum</i> Species of Australian shrub in the family Proteaceae

Conospermum incurvum, commonly known as plume smokebush, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.

<i>Synaphea</i> Genus of small shrubs in the family Proteaceae

Synaphea is a genus of small shrubs and is endemic to Western Australia. Synapheas have variably shaped leaves but consistently yellow flowers with an unusual pollination mechanism.

<i>Alloxylon pinnatum</i> Tree of the family Proteaceae found in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales

Alloxylon pinnatum, known as Dorrigo waratah, is a tree of the family Proteaceae found in warm-temperate rainforest of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has shiny green leaves that are either pinnate (lobed) and up to 30 cm (12 in) long, or lanceolate (spear-shaped) and up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The prominent pinkish-red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear in spring and summer; these are made up of 50 to 140 individual flowers arranged in corymb or raceme. These are followed by rectangular woody seed pods, which bear two rows of winged seeds.

<i>Oreocallis</i> Monotypic genus of plants in the family Proteaceae from Peru and Ecuador

Oreocallis is a South American plant genus in the family Proteaceae. There is only one species, Oreocallis grandiflora, which is native to mountainous regions in Peru and Ecuador.

<i>Persoonia levis</i> Shrub in the family Proteaceae native to New South Wales and Victoria in eastern Australia

Persoonia levis, commonly known as the broad-leaved geebung, is a shrub native to New South Wales and Victoria in eastern Australia. It reaches 5 m (16 ft) in height and has dark grey papery bark and bright green asymmetrical sickle-shaped leaves up to 14 cm (5.5 in) long and 8 cm (3.2 in) wide. The small yellow flowers appear in summer and autumn, followed by small green fleshy fruit, which are classified as drupes. Within the genus Persoonia, it is a member of the Lanceolata group of 58 closely related species. P. levis interbreeds with several other species where they grow together.

<i>Persoonia linearis</i> Shrub in the family Proteaceae native to New South Wales and Victoria in eastern Australia

Persoonia linearis, commonly known as the narrow-leaved geebung, is a shrub native to New South Wales and Victoria in eastern Australia. It reaches 3 m (9.8 ft), or occasionally 5 m (16 ft), in height and has thick, dark grey papery bark. The leaves are, as the species name suggests, more or less linear in shape, and are up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long, and 0.1 to 0.7 cm wide. The small yellow flowers appear in summer, autumn and early winter, followed by small green fleshy fruit known as drupes. Within the genus Persoonia, it is a member of the Lanceolata group of 58 closely related species. P. linearis interbreeds with several other species where they grow together.

<i>Conospermum longifolium</i> Species of Australian shrub in the family Proteaceae

Conospermum longifolium, commonly known as the long leaf smokebush, is a shrub of the family Proteaceae native to eastern Australia. Found between Ulladulla, Newcastle, New South Wales and the adjacent ranges. The habitat is drier eucalyptus woodlands or heathland.

<i>Persoonia chamaepitys</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia chamaepitys, commonly known as the prostrate- or mountain geebung, is a shrub endemic to New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has a prostrate habit, reaching only 20 cm (7.9 in) high but spreading up to 2 m (6.6 ft) across, with bright green spine-like leaves and small yellow flowers appearing in summer and autumn.

<i>Orites revolutus</i> Species of plant in the family Proteaceae endemic to Tasmania

Orites revolutus , also known as narrow-leaf orites, is a Tasmanian endemic plant species in the family Proteaceae. Scottish botanist Robert Brown formally described the species in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London in 1810 from a specimen collected at Lake St Clair. Abundant in alpine and subalpine heath, it is a small to medium shrub 0.5 to 1.5 m tall, with relatively small, blunt leaves with strongly revolute margins. The white flowers grow on terminal spikes during summer. Being proteaceaous, O. revolutus is likely to provide a substantial food source for nectivorous animal species within its range.

<i>Conospermum caeruleum</i> Species of Australian shrub in the family Proteaceae

Conospermum caeruleum, commonly known as blue brother, is a shrub in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate shrub with small, dense heads of blue, rarely pink flowers and usually grows in heavy soils subject to flooding.

<i>Conospermum crassinervium</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae

Conospermum crassinervium, commonly known as the summer smokebush or tassel smokebush, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.

Conospermum eatoniae, commonly known as blue lace, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.

<i>Conospermum triplinervium</i> Species of Australian shrub in the family Proteaceae


Conospermum triplinervium, commonly known as the tree smokebush or elk smokebush, is a tree or shrub endemic to Western Australia.

<i>Conospermum undulatum</i> Species of Australian shrub in the family Proteaceae

Conospermum undulatum is a shrub in the Proteaceae family, endemic to Western Australia, first described by John Lindley in 1839.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Conospermum". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  2. ↑ Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2009). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (3rd ed.). Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Rosenberg Pub. p. 159. ISBN   9781877058844.
  3. ↑ "Conospermum". APNI. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Smith, James Edward (1798). "The Characters of Twenty New Genera of Plants". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 4: 213–214. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1798.tb00530.x . Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. 1 2 3 Wrigley, John; Fagg, Murray (1991). Banksias, Waratahs and Grevilleas. Sydney, New South Wales: Angus & Robertson. pp. 132–33. ISBN   978-0-207-17277-9.
  7. ↑ Bennett, Eleanor Marion. "Conospermum Sm". Flora of Australia Online. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  8. ↑ L. A. S. Johnson and Briggs, B. G. (1975). "On the Proteaceae: the evolution and classification of a southern family". Journal of the Linnean Society of London. Botany. 70 (2): 83–182. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1975.tb01644.x.
  9. ↑ Weston, Peter H.; Barker, Nigel P. (2006). "A new suprageneric classification of the Proteaceae, with an annotated checklist of genera". Telopea. 11 (3): 314–44. doi: 10.7751/telopea20065733 .
  10. ↑ Mackay, David. "Genus Conospermum". Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney:Plantnet. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Jordan, Greg. "Conospermum". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Carolin, Roger (1961). "Pollination of the Proteaceae" (PDF). Australian Museum Magazine. 13 (11): 371–374. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Stone, Lynley M. (2003). "Floral biology and propagation of blue-flowered Conospermum species" (PDF). PhD Thesis: 4. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  14. 1 2 Houston, Terry F. (1989). "Leioproctus bees associated with Western Australian smoke bushes (Conospermum spp.) and their adaptations for foraging and concealment". Records of the Western Australian Museum. 14 (3): 275–292. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Bees? Please. These plants are putting ants to work". phys.org. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  16. ↑ Delnevo, Nicola; van Etten, Eddie J.; Clemente, Nicola; Fogu, Luna; Pavarani, Evelina; Byrne, Margaret; Stock, William D. (2020). "Pollen adaptation to ant pollination: a case study from the Proteaceae". Annals of Botany. 126 (3): 377–386. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcaa058 . PMC   7424750 . PMID   32227077.
  17. ↑ Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray (1983). Australian native plants : a manual for their propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (2nd ed.). Sydney: Collins. pp. 200–201. ISBN   978-0002165754.
  18. ↑ "Smokebush for cutflower production". Government of Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
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