''Calothamnus macrocarpus'' 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 shrub with bright red flowers in spring and large, almost spherical fruit. It has a limited distribution near Hopetoun. (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 macrocarpa''.)

Description

''Calothamnus macrocarpus'' is an erect shrub with many branches growing to a height of about . Its leaves are crowded, long, in diameter, cylindrical in shape and taper to a non-prickly point. There are prominent oil glands on the leaves. The flowers are deep red usually in small clusters between the leaves. The petals are long, thin, papery and pink to brown. 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 usually with 26 to 28 stamens per bundle. Flowering occurs from August to December and is followed by fruits which are woody, almost spherical capsules, in diameter, which are often hidden in the foliage.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calothamnus macrocarpus'' was first formally described in 1984 by Trevor Hawkeswood in the botanical journal ''Nuytsia''. 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 ...

(''macrocarpus'') is derived from the Greek ''macros'' meaning "large" or "long" and ''carpos'' meaning "fruit" and refers to the prominently large, almost spherical fruit of this species.

Distribution and habitat

''Calothamnus macrocarpus'' occurs near the summit of

East Mount Barren East Mount Barren is a quartzite peak of the Barren Range in Fitzgerald River National Park. It was sighted and named by explorer Matthew Flinders on 6 January 1802, together with two other peaks in the range, West Mount Barren and Middle Mount B ...

near Hopetoun in the

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 ...

biogeographic region where it grows in sand and soils derived from

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

Conservation

''Calothamnus macrocarpus'' is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian government department of parks and wildlife, meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations, mostly in reserves or national parks.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15396995 macrocarpus Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1984 Endemic flora of Western Australia