Verticordia sieberi

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.

Verticordia sieberi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Verticordia
Subgenus: Verticordia subg. Verticordia
Section: Verticordia sect. Verticordia
Species:
V. sieberi
Binomial name
Verticordia sieberi

Description

Verticordia sieberi is a shrub with a single main branch and which usually grows to a height of less than 1.5 m (5 ft). It is sometimes a compact, small shrub but may also be openly branched with the flowers held high above most of the foliage. The leaves are linear to elliptic, 2–8 mm (0.08–0.3 in) long and semi-circular in cross-section.[2]

The flowers are scented and arranged in round or corymb-like groups near the ends of the branches, each flower on an erect stalk 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. The floral cup is about 2 mm (0.08 in) long, smooth and hairy. The sepals are spreading, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, white to deep pink with 5 to 7 feathery lobes. The petals are a similar colour to the petals, erect, about 2 mm (0.08 in) long, with short hairs around its edge. The style is 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long, curved and hairy near the tip. Flowering time is usually from November to April but can occur at other times, depending on weather conditions.[2]

Taxonomy and naming

Verticordia sieberi was first formally described by Johannes Conrad Schauer in 1841 from an unpublished description by Karl Diesing. Schauer's description was published in Monographia Myrtacearum Xerocarpicarum.[1][3] The specific epithet (sieberi) honours the Austrian botanist Franz Sieber.[2]

In his review of the genus in 1991, Alex George placed this species in subgenus Verticordia, section Verticordia along with V. crebra, V. helichrysantha, V. plumosa, V. stenopetala, V. harveyi, V. pityrhops, and V. fimbrilepis.[4]

George described four varieties:

  • Verticordia sieberi Schauer var. sieberi which has sepals longer than 1.8 mm (0.07 in) and petals with smooth or slightly toothed edges;[2][5]
  • Verticordia sieberi var. curta A.S.George which has sepals shorter than 1.8 mm (0.07 in);[2][6]
  • Verticordia sieberi var. lomata A.S.George which is similar to var. sieberi but has petals with feathery or hairy edges and leaves less than 1 mm (0.04 in)wide;[2][7]
  • Verticordia sieberi var. pachyphylla A.S.George which is similar to var. lomata but has leaves 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) wide.[2][8]

Distribution and habitat

This verticordia usually grows in sand, often in areas that are wet in winter, in heath and shrubland. It occurs along the south coast of Western Australia and inland near Frank Hann National Park and between Hyden and Lake King[2] in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Coolgardie, and Mallee biogeographic region.[9]

Conservation

Verticordia sieberi var pachyphylla is classified as "Priority One" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife,[10] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.[11] The other varieties are classified as "Not Threatened".

Use in horticulture

All the varieties of V. sieberi have proven difficult to propagate and establish in gardens and success in growing the species is rare.[2]

References
  1. "Verticordia sieberi". APNI. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  2. Elizabeth A. (Berndt) George; Margaret Pieroni (illustrator) (2002). Verticordia: the turner of hearts (1st ed.). Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 198–205. ISBN 1-876268-46-8.
  3. Schauer, Johannes Conrad (1841). Monographia Myrtacearum Xerocarpicarum. Bratislava and Bonn: Eduard Weber. p. 201. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  4. George, A.S. (1991) New taxa, combinations and typifications in Verticordia (Myrtaceae: Chamelaucieae). Nuytsia 7(3): 254
  5. "Verticordia sieberi var. sieberi". APNI. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  6. "Verticordia sieberi var. curta". APNI. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  7. "Verticordia sieberi var. lomata". APNI. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  8. "Verticordia sieberi var. pachyphylla". APNI. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. "Verticordia sieberi". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  10. "Verticordia sieberi var. pachyphylla". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  11. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
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