''Conostylis wonganensis'', known as Wongan conostylis, is a perennial plant species 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 ...

. It is an endemic of

Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Aus ...

that is threatened with extinction.

Taxonomy

The species was described by

Stephen Hopper Stephen Donald Hopper AC FLS FTSE (born 18 June 1951) is a Western Australian botanist. He graduated in Biology, specialising in conservation biology and vascular plants. Hopper has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his n ...

in 1982. The specific epithet refers to its restricted occurrence near

Wongan Hills Wongan Hills is a range of low flat-topped hills in the Avon Wheatbelt bioregion of Western Australia. It is located at , in the Shire of Wongan–Ballidu. History The range was first recorded in 1836 by Surveyor General of Western Australia Jo ...

Description

A species of ''

Conostylis ''Conostylis'' is a genus of perennial herbs in the Haemodoraceae family, commonly known as cone flowers. All species are endemic to the south west of Western Australia. Taxonomy The genus is the most speciose of the Haemodoraceae family, and ...

'', the Western Australian endemics known as coneflowers, allied to the species ''

Conostylis teretiuscula ''Conostylis'' is a genus of perennial herbs in the Haemodoraceae family, commonly known as cone flowers. All species are endemic to the south west of Western Australia. Taxonomy The genus is the most speciose of the Haemodoraceae family, and ...

'', '' C. dielsii'' and '' C. caricina''. It is grass-like perrenial, attaining a size up to 200 mm high and 100 mm wide. The numerous narrow leaves are 1 mm wide, between 75 and 150 mm long, and grow from a rhizome beneath the surface. The color of the leaves is pale green, becoming yellowish brown at the base. The inflorescence is creamy to yellow colored, presented on flowering scapes 20 to 25 mm long. The flowering period is in either July, August or September.

Distribution

The distribution range of ''Conostylis wonganensis'' is restricted to an area around

and

Manmanning Manmanning is a small Wheatbelt town in Western Australia. The name of the town first appeared on charts drawn in 1907, and was the Indigenous Australian name of a soak located close to the townsite. The townsite was originally a railway sidi ...

. This reserve has been isolated from the extensive changes in land use in the surrounding Wheatbelt of Southwest Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15333339 wonganensis Plants described in 1982 Taxa named by Stephen Hopper