''Calothamnus gilesii'' is a 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 south-west 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 is an erect, usually compact shrub with fine, pine-like foliage and which produces cluster of red flowers from June to January. (In 2014

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed ''Melaleuca gilesii''.)

Description

''Calothamnus gilesii'' is an erect, or open, spreading shrub growing to a height of about . Its leaves are fine, circular in cross section and up to long tapering to a sharp point. The flowers are bright red and arranged in small groups. The

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are arranged in 5 claw-like bundles. Flowering occurs in late spring and summer and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calothamnus gilesii'' was first formally described by

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

Government Botanist

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in 1876 in the tenth volume of '' Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae''. It is not clear whether 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 ...

(''gilesii'') honours

Ernest Giles William Ernest Powell Giles (20 July 1835 – 13 November 1897), best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer who led five major expeditions to parts of South Australia and Western Australia. Early life Ernest Giles was born in Bris ...

who conducted major expeditions in central Australia or Ernest Giles's friend, Christopher Giles, both of whom made collections for Mueller. Mueller noted that the collection was made by "Giles and Young".

Distribution and habitat

''Calothamnus gilesii'' is widespread in the drier areas of south-western Western Australia including the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains,

Great Victoria Desert The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. History In 1875, British-born Australian explorer Ernest Giles became the first European to cross th ...

, Mallee, Murchison, Nullarbor Plain and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. It grows on sandplains and stony ridges.

Conservation

This species is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian government department of parks and wildlife.

Use in horticulture

In cultivation, the species adapts well to harsh, hot situations. It tolerates some dryness and moderate frost.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5023868 gilesii Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1876 Endemic flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller