''Conospermum acerosum'', commonly known as needle-leaved smokebush, is a species of flowering plant in family

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Pro ...

and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It is spindly, erect or straggly shrub with needle-shaped or thread-like leaves,

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s of white or pink flowers and reddish brown

nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

Description

''Conospermum acerosum'' is a spindly shrub, either erect or sprawling, that typically grows to high, usually with several unbranched stems growing from the base of the plant. It has sharply pointed, needle-shaped or thread-like leaves up to long and wide. The flowers are arranged in panicles of white, red or pink flowers, the flowers forming a tube long. The upper lip is long and the lower lip long with lobes long. Flowering occurs from July to November and the fruit is a reddish-brown nut long and about wide.

Taxonomy

''Conospermum acerosum'' was first formally described in

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

's 1839 ''

A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony "A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony", also known by its standard botanical abbreviation ''Sketch Veg. Swan R.'', is an 1839 article by John Lindley on the flora of the Swan River Colony. Nearly 300 new species were published in it, ...

''. Lindley referred to it as a "strange species" that "might be mistaken for a

Colletia ''Colletia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rhamnaceae, with five species of spiny shrubs. All species of this genus are native to southern South America. They are non-legume nitrogen fixer Actinorhizal plants are a group of angios ...

." In 1995, as part of her treatment of ''

Conospermum ''Conospermum'' is a genus of about 50 species in the family Proteaceae that are endemic to Australia. Members of the genus are known as smokebushes - from a distance, their wispy heads of blue or grey flowers resemble puffs of smoke. They hav ...

'' for the '' Flora of Australia'' series of monographs,

Eleanor Bennett Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introdu ...

published a subspecies, ''Conospermum acerosum'' subsp. ''hirsutum'', based on material collected in 1901 by geologist and

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

William Dugald Campbell, and the both it and the autonym are accepted by the Australian Plant Census. * ''Conospermum acerosum'' subsp. ''hirsutum'' has densely hairy stems and leaf bases, spreading or descending leaves, and flowers from August to October. * ''Conospermum acerosum'' subsp. ''acerosum'' has more or less glabrous stems and leaf bases, curved, ascending leaves, and flowers from July to November.

Distribution and habitat

Needle-leaved smokebush grows in sandy soil, often over

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

, from the Kalbarri National Park south to Augusta and inland as far as Coorow, in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest and

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

bioregions. Subspecies ''hirsutum'' occurs in the northern part of the distribution, from Kalbarri to

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, and subsp. ''acerosum'' from south of Northampton to near Perth, with isolated populations near

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

and Nannup.

Conservation status

Both subspecies of ''C. acerosum'' are listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q5162324, from2=Q51053615, from3=Q100450753 Eudicots of Western Australia acerosum Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1839 Taxa named by John Lindley