''Conostylis serrulata'' is a flowering plant in the family

Haemodoraceae Haemodoraceae is a family of perennial herbaceous flowering plants with 14 genera and 102 known species. It is sometimes known as the "bloodwort family". Primarily a Southern Hemisphere family, they are found in South Africa, Australia and New ...

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. It is a small perennial with yellow cream flowers and flat, green leaves.

Description

''Conostylis serrulata'' is a small, tufted perennial growing from a rhizome and a grass-like habit growing to high. It usually has small, stiff, straight branches arising from the base. The leaves are long, and wide, hairs on the margins long and a smooth surface. The creamish yellow flowers are long,

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 ...

s long,

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s long, and six stamens. Flowering occurs in late winter, September or October.

Taxonomy and naming

''Conostylis serrulata'' was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

''.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 ...

(''serrulata'') is in reference to the "finely serrate" leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This conostylis grows in

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 ...

gravel on the south coast of Western Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15334946 serrulata Commelinales of Australia Angiosperms of Western Australia Plants described in 1810 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)