''Chorizema obtusifolium'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
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 coast of southern Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading or trailing shrub with leathery, linear leaves, and orange, pinkish-orange and red pea flowers.
Description
''Chorizema obtusifolium'' is an erect, spreading or trailing shrub that typically grows to a height of with stems long. Its leaves are leathery and linear, long with the tip curve downwards. The flowers are orange, pinkish-orange and red, arranged in
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s long, each flower on a short
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
...
. The sepals are long, the two upper lobes joined for most of their length. The
standard petal is nearly twice as long as the sepals, the
wings much shorter than the standard, and the
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
shorter than the wings. Flowering occurs from September to November.
Taxonomy and naming
This species was first formally described in 1827 by
Robert Sweet who gave it the name ''Oxylobium obtusifolium'' in his ''Flora Australasica'' from specimens raised at
Clapton Nursery by
John Bain Mackay John Bain Mackay (5 February 1795 – 9 August 1888) was a nurseryman based in Clapton, London noted for his introductions of Australian and South American plants into cultivation.
He was born in Echt in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. At his Cla ...
, from seed collected near
King George Sound by
William Baxter.
In 1992,
Joan M. Taylor and
Michael Crisp transferred the species to ''Chorizema'' as ''C. obtusifolium'' in ''
Australian Systematic Botany''.
Distribution and habitat
''Chorizema obtusifolium'' grows on flats and sand dunes in near-coastal areas from near
Jerramungup to
Cape Arid National Park
Cape Arid National Park is a List of national parks of Australia, national park located in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is situated east of Esperance, Western Australia, Esperance and lies on the shore of the South coast of W ...
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 ...
and
Mallee bioregions of southern Western Australia.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15528725
obtusifolium
''Obtusifolium'' is a genus of liverworts belonging to the family Cephaloziellaceae
Cephaloziellaceae is a family of liverworts belonging to the order Jungermanniales.
Genera
Genera:
*'' Allisoniella'' E.A.Hodgs.
*'' Amphicephalozia'' R.M.Sch ...
Fabales of Australia
Flora of Western Australia
Plants described in 1827
Taxa named by Robert Sweet (botanist)