Haemodorum brevicaule

Haemodorum brevicaule is a perennial herb from 0.025 to 0.3 m tall, in the bloodroot family, the Haemodoraceae,[2] native to northern Australia.[3] It has deep-red to purplish-black flowers[4] which are seen from September to December, and it grows on red clay and basalt.[2]

Haemodorum brevicaule
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Haemodoraceae
Genus: Haemodorum
Species:
H. brevicaule
Binomial name
Haemodorum brevicaule
F.Muell.[1][2]
H. brevicaule Collection data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Etymology

The name, Haemodorum, was chosen by Smith in 1798[5] for the blood-red root, haem- being Greek for blood-red.[6] Mueller[1] in 1858, gave this species the specific epithet, brevicaule, which derives from the Latin brevi- (short),[7] and caulis (stem),[8] giving the meaning 'short-stemmed'.

Description

It has flat, hairless, leaves about 9 to 31 cm long and 0.5 to 2 mm wide, and a smooth scape about 9 cm to 13 cm long. The perianth is formed of two rings of three tepals which are uniformly red, red-brown, purple or black.[2] It has three stamens all at the same level with the filaments being 1 to 1.2 mm long and having slightly longer anthers. The plant flowers from September to December.[2]

Distribution

It is found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland in the IBRA regions of the Northern Kimberley, Victoria Bonaparte,[2] Arnhem Coast, Darwin Coastal, Northern Kimberley, Pine Creek, Central Arnhem, Tiwi Cobourg, Arnhem Plateau, Gulf Coastal, Daly Basin, the Cape York Peninsula region[9] in open eucalypt forest in dry sandy soils, and also in places that are seasonally flooded.[4]

Taxonomy

H. brevicaule was first described by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1858.[1] This description was slightly modified in 1987 by Macfarlane.[10][11] The syntype is held in the National Herbarium of Victoria and was collected by Mueller in 1855 towards the Macadam range in the Victoria-Daly region of the Northern Territory.[12]

References
  1. von Mueller, F.J.H. 1858. "Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 1(3): 64". Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  2. "Haemodorum brevicaule". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. "Australia's Virtual Herbarium: Haemodorum brevicaule". Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. Macfarlane, T.D. 1987. "Flora of Australia Online: Haemodorum brevicaule, Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 45 (1987), a product of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia". Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  5. Smith, James Edward. 1798. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 4: 213-214 in Latin
  6. Stearn, W.T. 1992. 'Botanical Latin : history, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary.' (p.423) (Portland, Oregon: Timber Press)
  7. Stearn, W.T. 1992. 'Botanical Latin : history, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary.' (p.378) (Portland, Oregon: Timber Press)
  8. Stearn, W.T. 1992. 'Botanical Latin : history, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary.' (p.503) (Portland, Oregon: Timber Press)
  9. "AVH: Haemodorum brevicaule (mapview - left panel: IBRA 7 regions), Australasian Virtual Herbarium". Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  10. "APNI: Haemodorum brevicaule, Australian Plant Name Index". Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  11. Macfarlane, T.D. 1987. in A.S.George (ed.) Haemodorum Flora of Australia 45
  12. "Syntype: Occurrence record: MEL 0103528A, Australasian Virtual Herbarium". Retrieved 4 May 2018.
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