''Conostephium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

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 ...

Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...

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 The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of Western Australia. The name of the genus comes from Greek words, ''conos'', "cone" and ''stephanos'', "that which encircles, a

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...

", referring to the petal tube that encloses the stamens.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Conostephium'' are small

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrubs with small to medium-sized simple leaves. The flowers occur singly in the axils of the leaves, have 5 sepals, 5 corolla petals joined at their bases into a long corolla tube, and 5

stamens 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 ...

. The fruit is a more or less fleshy drupe.

Taxonomy

The genus was first formally described in 1837 by

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

, and the first species described was '' C. pendulum''. There are 12 species in the genus, 4 having been added recently. The most distinctive features of the genus are the corolla tube which is conical in the upper half, the tiny corolla lobes and very long anthers which are fully enclosed within the corolla tube. These 3 features are thought to be adaptations to

buzz pollination Buzz pollination or sonication is a technique used by some bees, such as solitary bees to release pollen which is more or less firmly held by the anthers. The anthers of buzz-pollinated plant species are typically tubular, with an opening at only ...

. The genus is most closely related to '' Brachyloma'' and ''

Stenanthera ''Stenanthera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (taxonomy), family Ericaceae. Most are low shrubs with leaves that are paler on the lower surface, tube-shaped flowers and with the fruit a drupe. There are three species, formerly incl ...

'' but those genera have saccate corolla tubes, much larger corolla lobes and shorter anthers which extend partially beyond the corolla tube. After the description of ''C. pendulum'' in 1837, within ten years, two more were added - ''( C. minus'' and '' C. preissii)''. In 1859, the Russian botanist Sergei Sergeyevich Sheglejev described a new genus, ''Conostephiopsis'' in which he placed a new species (''Conostephiopsis drummondii''). At the same time, he transferred '' C. minus'' and '' C. preissii'' to the new genus, making ''Conostephium'' once more

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

. In 1886, Bentham in

Flora Australiensis ''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume flora of Australia published be ...

grouped the two genera and added a fourth species ('' Conostephium roei''). Much later, '' C. marchantiorum'' Strid (1986), '' C. uncinatum'' Moezel (1987) and '' C. magnum''

Cranfield Cranfield is a village and civil parish in the west of Bedfordshire, England, situated between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It had a population of 4,909 in 2001. increasing to 5,369 at the 2011 Census. The parish is in Central Bedfordshire uni ...

(2002) were added. The latest additions were made (in 2013) by Michael Hislop, a

botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are give ...

at the

Western Australian Herbarium The Western Australian Herbarium is the State Herbarium in Perth, Western Australia. It is part of the State government's Department of Parks and Wildlife, and has responsibility for the description and documentation of the flora of Western Austr ...

Species

The following is a list of ''Conostephium'' species accepted by 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 ...

as at March 2022: * '' Conostephium drummondii'' ( Stschegl.) C.A.Gardner * '' Conostephium hortiorum'' Hislop * '' Conostephium laeve'' Hislop * '' Conostephium magnum''

* '' Conostephium marchantiorum'' Strid * '' Conostephium minus''

Lindl. 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 ...

– pink-tipped pearl flower * '' Conostephium papillosum'' Hislop * '' Conostephium pendulum''

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

– pearl flower * '' Conostephium preissii''

Sond Sond may refer to: * Sensor (aka detector or probe) *SOND, abbreviation for Strengthening Our Nation's Democracy, movement motivated by the 1984 book, '' Strong Democracy'' * Tarunpreet Singh Sond (fl. 2020s), Indian politician *Praveen Sond, actr ...

* '' Conostephium prolatum'' Hislop * '' Conostephium roei'' Benth. * '' Conostephium uncinatum'' Moezel

Distribution

All ''Conospermum'' species are

to the southwestern part 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 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3501731 Epacridoideae Ericaceae genera Eudicots of Western Australia