''Calothamnus hirsutus'' is a plant in the myrtle

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

, Myrtaceae 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 else ...

to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with prominent hairs on the leaves giving them a smoky appearance. The flowers are deep red and are usually in dense clusters between the older leaves.

Description

''Calothamnus hirsutus'' is a compact, many-branched shrub growing to a height of about . The older branches are corky but the younger shoots are densely hairy. Its leaves are usually long, in diameter, cylindrical in shape and taper to a non-prickly point. They have many well-spaced, upright hairs on their surface and conspicuous oil glands. The flowers are deep red and in dense clusters of 4 to 8 individual flowers, usually on the older branches and between the leaves. The petals are long, thin, papery and orange to brown. The stamens are arranged in 5 claw-like bundles with 20 to 25 stamens per bundle. Flowering occurs from October to February and is followed by fruits which are woody, almost spherical capsules which are hairy at first but become glabrous with age. The fruits are in diameter.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calothamnus hirsutus'' was first formally described in 1984 by Trevor J. Hawkeswood in the botanical journal ''Nuytsia''. The specific epithet (''hirsutus'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word meaning "rough" or "hairy" referring to the long, simple hairs on the leaves. In 2014 Craven,

Edwards Edwards may refer to: People * Edwards (surname) * Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile * Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate * Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...

and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed ''Melaleuca hirsuta'' but the name is not accepted at the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

Distribution and habitat

''Calothamnus hirsutus'' occurs from near Arrowsmith to the suburbs of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

and the

Helena Valley Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

in the

Avon Wheatbelt The Avon Wheatbelt is a bioregion in Western Australia. It has an area of . It is considered part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion. Geography The Avon Wheatbelt bioregion is mostly a gently undulating landscape with low reli ...

Geraldton Sandplains Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

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 i ...

, Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions. There is a significant population in the Anstey-Keane Dampland reserve in the Perth suburb of Forrestdale.

Conservation

''Calothamnus hirsutus'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15395683 hirsutus Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1984 Endemic flora of Western Australia