''Beaufortia schaueri'', commonly known as pink bottlebrush or pink beaufortia, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a small, rounded shrub with small, crowded, linear leaves and profuse, spherical heads of pink flowers conspicuously displayed on the ends of the branches in spring.

Description

''Beaufortia schaueri'' is a small, compact shrub which grows to a height of about . The leaves are arranged in alternating pairs (

decussate Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...

) so that they make four rows along the stems. The leaves are about long, linear in shape, overlap each other and are triangular to almost circular in cross section. The flowers are bright pink to mauve and are arranged in almost spherical heads on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. The flowers have 5

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s, 5

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and 5 bundles of stamens. There are usually 5 stamens in a bundle and they are joined for about half their length. Flowering occurs from September to December and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules.

Taxonomy

''Beaufortia schaueri'' was first formally described in 1843 by Johannes Conrad Schauer in from an unpublished description by

Balthazar Preiss Balthazar, or variant spellings, may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Balthazar'' (novel), by Lawrence Durrell, 1958 * ''Balthasar'', an 1889 book by Anatole France * ''Professor Balthazar'', a Croatian animated TV series, 1967-1978 ...

. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''schaueri'') honours Schauer.

Distribution and habitat

''Beaufortia schaueri'' occurs mainly between the Albany and

Israelite Bay Israelite Bay is a bay and locality on the south coast of Western Australia. Situated in the Shire of Esperance local government area, it lies east of Esperance and the Cape Arid National Park, within the Nuytsland Nature Reserve and the Grea ...

districts in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie,

Esperance Plains Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a pl ...

Jarrah Forest Jarrah forest is tall open forest in which the dominant overstory tree is ''Eucalyptus marginata'' (jarrah). The ecosystem occurs only in the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia. It is most common in the biogeographic region named in ...

and Mallee bioregions of south-western Western Australia. It usually grows in sandy soils or those derived from

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

on plains and slopes.

Conservation

''Beaufortia schaueri'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian government Department of Parks and Wildlife.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15396115 schaueri Plants described in 1843 Endemic flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Johannes Conrad Schauer