Beaufortia cyrtodonta

Beaufortia cyrtodonta, commonly known as Stirling Range bottlebrush,[2] is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a compact shrub with crowded leaves which appear greyish due to their covering of fine, soft hairs. It has heads of red flowers in spring and occurs in the Stirling Range district.

Stirling Range bottlebrush
Beaufortia cyrtodonta growing near the Bluff Knoll walking track.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Beaufortia
Species:
B. cyrtodonta
Binomial name
Beaufortia cyrtodonta
Synonyms[1]
  • Beaufortia heterophylla Turcz.
  • Melaleuca cyrtodonta Turcz.

Description

Beaufortia cyrtodonta is a compact shrub which grows to a height of 1.5 metres (5 ft). The leaves are linear, crowded and arranged in alternate pairs (decussate) so that they make four rows along the stems. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped, 4–7 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long and often have a covering of fine hairs, giving them a greyish appearance.[3][2][4][5]

The flowers are red and are arranged in heads about 2.5 millimetres (0.1 in) in diameter on the ends of branches. The flowers have 5 sepals, 5 petals and 5 bundles of stamens. The bundles contain 3 stamens and are joined for 8.5–13.5 millimetres (0.3–0.5 in) with the free stamen ends a further 1.5–3 millimetres (0.06–0.1 in) long. Flowering occurs from June to November and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules 7–13 millimetres (0.3–0.5 in) long and clustered together.[3][2][4]

Beaufortia cyrtodonta growth habit
Beaufortia cyrtodonta fruits

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca cyrtodonta was first formally described in 1867 by Nikolai Turczaninow in Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou.[6][7] In 1867, George Bentham transferred it to Beaufortia as Beaufortia cyrtodonta.[5][8] The specific epithet ("cyrtodonta") is from the Ancient Greek kyrtos meaning "curved" or "bent"[9]:139 and odous meaning "tooth".[9]:807

Distribution and habitat

Beaufortia cyrtodonta mainly occurs in the Stirling Range district in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and Mallee biogeographic regions.[2] It grows in sandy and gravelly soils often derived from laterite on hills and outcrops.[3][4][10]

Conservation

Beaufortia cyrtodonta is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[2]

References
  1. "Beaufortia cyrtodonta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  2. "Beaufortia cyrtodonta". FloraBase. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  3. Burbidge, Andrew A. (2016). "A taxonomic revision of Beaufortia (Myrtaceae: Melaleuceae)". Nuytsia. 27: 178–179.
  4. Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2009). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (3rd ed.). Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 9781877058844. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  5. Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1866). Flora Australiensis (Volume 3). London: Lovell Reeve and Co. pp. 167–168. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  6. "Melaleuca cyrtodonta". APNI. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  7. Turczaninow, Nikolai (1849). "Decas sexta generum plantarum hucusque, non descriptorum". Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou. 22 (2): 24. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  8. "Beaufortia cyrtodonta". APNI. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  9. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  10. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora: a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 349. ISBN 0646402439.
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