''Blancoa'' is a monotypic

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of perennial herbs in the family

Haemodoraceae Haemodoraceae is a family of perennial herbaceous flowering plants with 14 genera and 102 known species. It is sometimes known as the "bloodwort family". Primarily a Southern Hemisphere family, they are found in South Africa, Australia and New ...

; the single species is ''Blancoa canescens'', commonly known as the winter bell. It 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 southwestern corner of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It has nodding red to pink flowers, a clumping habit and grows to be 10 to 40 cm in height. The genus is named in honour of

Francisco Manuel Blanco Manuel María Blanco Ramos known as Manuel Blanco (1779 – 1845) was a Spanish friar and botanist. Biography Born in Navianos de Alba, Castilla y León, Spain, Blanco was a member of the Augustinians, Augustinian order of friars. His first ass ...

, a Spanish friar and botanist who compiled the first comprehensive

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

of the Philippines.

Description

The winter bell is a clump-forming perennial herb with a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

rootstock. It sprouts tufts of linear leaves long by wide with entire margins and prominent parallel veins, which are covered with silky hairs when young. The pink or red, nodding flowers are about long, with yellowish interiors, and grow in pairs in a few-flowered spike. The plant flowers between May and September, in the wet season. The outside of the tubular flowers are covered with fine rusty-red hairs while the inside is hairless. There is a

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

y at the base of the tube which provides copious

, and the flowers are

pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...

by birds. The main pollinators are the

singing honeyeater The singing honeyeater (''Gavicalis virescens'') is a small bird found in Australia, and is part of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. The bird lives in a wide range of shrubland, woodland, and coastal habitat. It is relatively common and is wi ...

(''Gavicalis virescens'') and the

red wattlebird The red wattlebird (''Anthochaera carunculata'') is a passerine bird native to southern Australia. At in length, it is the second largest species of Australian honeyeater. It has mainly grey-brown plumage, with red eyes, distinctive pinkish-re ...

(''Anthochaera carunculata''), although other birds and bees may also visit; larger birds stand on the ground, reaching up into the flowers to sip nectar while smaller birds may hang on the

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

, their heads and beaks being showered with pollen. After pollination, the flowers fade and wither but remain in place while the fruits develop inside.

Distribution and habitat

The winter bell is

to the coastal strip of southwestern Western Australia, where it is found in the

Shire of Irwin The Shire of Irwin is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about south of Geraldton and about north of the state capital, Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western A ...

, the

Shire of Gingin The Shire of Gingin is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, just beyond the northern fringe of the Perth metropolitan area. The Shire ...

and adjoining areas in the

Southwest botanical province Southwest Australia is a ecoregion, biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean climate, Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region i ...

. It grows in deep sand in ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range i ...

'' woodland and in

kwongan Kwongan is plant community found in south-western Western Australia. The name is a Bibbelmun (Noongar) Aboriginal term of wide geographical use defined by Beard (1976) as Kwongan has replaced other terms applied by European botanists such as ...

, an open community of scrubby heathland. This region has a Mediterranean-type climate with cool wet winters and hot dry summers.Rainfall figures from "Western Australia: an atlas of human endeavour 1829-1979" (Western Australian Government Press)

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q16880316, from2=Q4087994 Haemodoraceae Monotypic Commelinales genera Commelinales of Australia Angiosperms of Western Australia Endemic flora of Australia