Verticordia stenopetala

Verticordia stenopetala is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low shrub with small leaves and heads of pink to magenta-coloured flowers in late spring and early summer.

Verticordia stenopetala

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
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. stenopetala
Binomial name
Verticordia stenopetala

Description

Verticordia stenopetala is a highly branched shrub which usually grows to a height 20–50 cm (8–20 in) and wide. The leaves are linear, slightly wider towards the tip, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and semi-circular in cross-section.[2]

The flowers are arranged in round or corymb-like groups, each flower on a stalk 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long. The floral cup is about 2 mm (0.08 in) long, smooth and hairy. The sepals are more or less spreading, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, pink to magenta-coloured with 6 to 8 feathery lobes. The petals are a similar colour to the sepals, about 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long, egg-shaped with a few short teeth near the tip and are slightly hairy on the outside. The style is 6–7.5 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, curved and hairy near the tip. Flowering time is from October to January.[2]

Taxonomy and naming

Verticordia stenopetala was first formally described by Ludwig Diels in 1904 and the description was published in Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie.[1][3] The specific epithet (stenopetala) is from the Ancient Greek words stenos meaning "narrow"[4]:546 and petalon meaning "petal".[4]:37[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. sieberi, V. harveyi, V. pityrhops, and V. fimbrilepis.[5]

Distribution and habitat

This verticordia usually grows in sand, sometimes with gravel or loam in heath and mallee shrubland. It occurs between Walgoolan, Bullabulling and Forrestania[2] in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, and Mallee biogeographic regions.[6]

Conservation

Verticordia stenopetala is classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife,[6] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[7]

Use in horticulture

This verticordia had proven difficult to propagate and establish and few have been grown in gardens, even though it has been known for more than a century.[2]

References
  1. "Verticordia stenopetala". APNI. Retrieved 28 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. 196–197. ISBN 1-876268-46-8.
  3. Diels, Ludwig (1904). "Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae occidentalis. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pflanzen Westaustraliens, ihrer Verbreitung und ihrer Lebensverhaltnisse". Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie. 35: 402. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  4. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  5. George, A.S. (1991) New taxa, combinations and typifications in Verticordia (Myrtaceae: Chamelaucieae). Nuytsia 7(3): 254
  6. "Verticordia stenopetala". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
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