''Conospermum flexuosum'', commonly known as the tangled smokebush, is a species of flowering plant in the 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 a sprawling shrub with many zig-zag branches,

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 to pale blue, tube-shaped flowers and urn-shaped, hairy

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 flexuosum'' is a sprawling shrub that typically grows to a height of up to and has many zig-zag or winding branches. The leaves are clustered at the base of the plant, spatula-shaped, square or almost circular in cross-section, long and wide on a petiole long. Older plants are often leafless. The flowers are borne in branching panicles with heads of 3 to 7 flowers on the ends with brownish-blue bracteoles long with velvety hairs. The perianth is tube-shaped, long and white to pale blue with woolly white or rust-coloured hairs, the lobes long and wide. Flowering occurs from May to October, and the fruit is an urn-shaped nut, long and wide and covered with soft, brown, red or white hairs.

Taxonomy

''Conospermum flexuosum'' was first formally described in 1830 by Robert Brown in his ''

Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae ''Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae'' ("First supplement to the Prodromus of the flora of New Holland") is an 1830 supplement to Robert Brown's ''Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. It may be referred to ...

'' from specimens collected near King George Sound by William Baxter. 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 ...

(''flexuosum'') means 'flexuose' or 'zig-zag', referring to the branching habit.

Subspecies

In 1995, Eleanor Marion Bennett described two subspecies of ''Conospermum flexuosum'' in the '' Flora of Australia'', and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census: * ''Conospermum flexuosum'' R.Br. subsp. ''flexuosum'' has tuberculate branches with 4 to 6 ridges, with veins between the tubercules. * ''Conospermum flexuosum'' subsp. ''laevigatum'' (Meisn.)E.M.Benn. (previously known as ''Conospermum flexuosum'' var. ''laevigatum'' Meisn.) has branches without tubercules, and 8 to 12 ribs.

Distribution and habitat

''Conospermum flexuosum'' is found in sand pockets among granite outcrops, on winter-wet flat areas and along roadsides in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest,

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 ...

and Warren bioregions of south-west Western Australia. Subspecies ''flexuosum'' occurs near Albany, south of the

Stirling Range The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth. It is over wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranb ...

and east to

Wellstead Wellstead is a small rural town situated in Western Australia in the Great Southern region between Albany and Esperance. The name commemorates the Wellstead family who settled in the area in 1860 and had held grazing land between Cape Riche ...

, but subsp, ''laevigatum'' mostly occurs between

Capel Capel may refer to: People *Capell, surname, includes a list of people with the surnames Capel and Capell *Capel (given name), includes a list of people with the given name Capel Places England *Capel, Kent, a village and civil parish near T ...

and

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 east to Nannup.

Conservation status

Both subspecies of ''C. flexuosum'' are listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15574626, from2=Q100450807, from3=Q51053755 flexuosum Endemic flora of Western Australia Eudicots of Western Australia Plants described in 1830 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)