''Darwinia'', sometimes commonly known as mountain bells or simply bells, is a genus of about 70 species of
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 ...
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...
s in the family
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All sp ...
,
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 southeastern and southwestern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. The majority are native to southern
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 t ...
, but a few species occur in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and
Victoria. The genus was named in honour of
Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Robert Darwin (12 December 173118 April 1802) was an English physician. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave-trade abolitionist, inventor, and poet.
His poems ...
, grandfather of
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
by
Edward Rudge
Edward Rudge (27 June 1763 – 1846) was an English botanist and antiquary.
Life
He was the son of Edward Rudge, a merchant and alderman of Salisbury, who possessed a large portion of the abbey estate at Evesham. He matriculated from Queen' ...
in 1816. Most darwinias grow to a height of between , and many are prostrate shrubs. Most have small, simple leaves and the flowers are often grouped together, each flower with five red, white or greenish
petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...
s and ten
stamen
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 fila ...
s. In many species, the flowers are surrounded by large, colourful
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 o ...
s, giving rise to their common names.
Description
Darwinia species are prostrate to erect, woody shrubs growing to a height of . The
leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
are usually arranged in opposite pairs and are simple, small, needle-like to oval and contain
essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...
s. The
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...
s are arranged near the ends of the branches and are usually surrounded by leaf-like green
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 o ...
s and larger, usually coloured
bracteoles. The flowers have five, usually very small
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...
s and 5
petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...
s which enclose the
stamen
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 fila ...
s and may be white or coloured. There are 10
stamen
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 fila ...
s which alternate with 10
staminode
In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & C ...
s, all of which are enclosed by the petals so that they are not visible in an intact flower. The
style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
projects beyond the flower and has a groups of hairs near the
stigma. The fruit is a non-fleshy nut which retains the (usually one) seed at maturity.
Taxonomy and naming
The genus ''Darwinia'' was first formally described by
Edward Rudge
Edward Rudge (27 June 1763 – 1846) was an English botanist and antiquary.
Life
He was the son of Edward Rudge, a merchant and alderman of Salisbury, who possessed a large portion of the abbey estate at Evesham. He matriculated from Queen' ...
in 1816 and the
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specim ...
is ''
Darwinia fascicularis
''Darwinia fascicularis'' is shrub in the myrtle family and is endemic to areas near Sydney. A small shrub with aromatic foliage and white flowers, turning red as they mature. Nectar feeding birds are attracted to its flowers as a food source. ...
''. Rudge published his description in ''
Transactions of the Linnean Society of London''.
There are about 70 species but many have not been formally described.
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 ...
undertook a review of the genus in 1865 when he described 23 species 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 ...
''
(although the species he named ''Darwinia verticordina'' is now known as ''
Verticordia verticordina'').
The genus was named for
Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Robert Darwin (12 December 173118 April 1802) was an English physician. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave-trade abolitionist, inventor, and poet.
His poems ...
.
About 30 species of ''Darwinia'' have been discovered but not yet formally described. They have been given informal names such as ''Darwinia'' sp. Bindoon and ''Darwinia'' sp. Canna.
Distribution
Darwinias are found in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Sixty of the roughly 70 species occur in Western Australia and 11 grow naturally in New South Wales.
Ecology
Land clearing and grazing practices have reduced the areas where ''Darwinia'' species grow naturally. Recovery is hindered by
drought
A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
, changed fire regimes and susceptibility of some species, especially Gillam's Bell (''
Darwinia oxylepis
''Darwinia oxylepis'', commonly known as Gillham's bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as a dense, upright shrub high, and produces large numbers of red inflorescences prominently displayed on the ends of the branchlets ...
'') to infection by the
oomycete, ''
Phytophthora cinnamomi
''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants variously called " root rot", "dieback", or (in certain ''Castanea'' species), "ink disease". The plant pathogen is one of the wo ...
''.
Conservation
Some species in the genus ''Darwinia'' are threatened with
extinction
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the Endling, last individual of the species, although the Functional ext ...
, being listed as
Endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
or Vulnerable on the Australian National List of Threatened Flora. These include the Yellow Mountain Bell (''
Darwinia collina
''Darwinia collina'', commonly known as the yellow mountain bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as an erect shrub high with crowded elliptical leaves and bright yellow flower-like inflorescences. It is endemic to a few sm ...
''), Gillam's Bell (''
Darwinia oxylepis
''Darwinia oxylepis'', commonly known as Gillham's bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as a dense, upright shrub high, and produces large numbers of red inflorescences prominently displayed on the ends of the branchlets ...
'') and Abba Bell (''
Darwinia whicherensis
''Darwinia whicherensis'', commonly known as the Abba bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with linear leaves and bell-shaped, flower-like inflorescences ...
'').
Use in horticulture
Darwinias are difficult to
propagate
Propagation can refer to:
*Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism
* Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials
*Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda
*Reproduction, and other form ...
from
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...
but can be cultivated from
cuttings.
List of species
The following is a list of ''Darwinia'' 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 December 2020:
*''
Darwinia acerosa''
W.Fitzg.
William Vincent Fitzgerald, (21 July 1867 – 6 August 1929) was an Australian botanist. He described five genera and about 210 species of plants from Western Australia, including 33 ''Acacia'' and several ''Eucalyptus'' species. He also collect ...
– fine-leaved darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia apiculata
''Darwinia apiculata'', commonly known as the scarp darwinia, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Western Australia. It is a rounded, densely branched, small shrub with thin red branches and scattered s ...
''
N.G.Marchant – scarp darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia biflora''
( Cheel) B.G.Briggs (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia briggsiae''
Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia camptostylis''
B.G.Briggs (N.S.W., Vic.)
*''
Darwinia capitellata''
Rye (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia carnea''
C.A.Gardner – Mogumber bell, Narrogin bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia chapmaniana''
Keighery – Chapman's bell, Eganu bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia citriodora''
(Endl.
Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Pressburg, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botan ...
) 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 ...
– lemon-scented darwinia, lemon-scented myrtle (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia collina
''Darwinia collina'', commonly known as the yellow mountain bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as an erect shrub high with crowded elliptical leaves and bright yellow flower-like inflorescences. It is endemic to a few sm ...
''
C.A.Gardner – yellow mountain bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia diminuta''
B.G.Briggs (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia diosmoides''
(DC.
Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...
) Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia divisa''
Keighery & N.G.Marchant (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia fascicularis
''Darwinia fascicularis'' is shrub in the myrtle family and is endemic to areas near Sydney. A small shrub with aromatic foliage and white flowers, turning red as they mature. Nectar feeding birds are attracted to its flowers as a food source. ...
''
Rudge (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia ferricola''
Keighery – Scott River darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia foetida''
Keighery – Muchea bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia glaucophylla''
B.G.Briggs (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia grandiflora''
R.T.Baker
Richard Thomas Baker (1 December 1854 – 14 July 1941) was an Australian economic botanist, museum curator and educator.
Early life
Baker was born in Woolwich, England, son of Richard Thomas Baker, a blacksmith, and his wife Sarah, née Colkett ...
& H.G.Sm. (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia helichrysoides''
(Meisn.
Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner (1 November 1800 – 2 May 1874) was a Swiss botanist.
Biography
Born in Bern, Switzerland on 1 November 1800, he was christened Meisner but later changed the spelling of his name to Meissner. For most of his 40 ...
) Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia hortiorum''
K.R.Thiele (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia hypericifolia''
( Turcz.) Domin
Karel Domin (4 May 1882, Kutná Hora, Kingdom of Bohemia – 10 June 1953, Prague) was a Czech botanist and politician.
After gymnasium school studies in Příbram, he studied botany at the Charles University in Prague, and graduated in 1906 ...
(W.A.)
*''
Darwinia leiostyla''
(Turcz.) Domin (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia leptantha''
B.G.Briggs (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia luehmannii''
F.Muell.
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vic ...
& Tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
(W.A.)
*''
Darwinia macrostegia''
(Turcz.) Benth. – Mondurup bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia masonii''
C.A.Gardner – Mason's darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia meeboldii''
C.A.Gardner – Cranbrook bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia micropetala''
(F.Muell.) Benth. – small darwinia (Vic., S.A.)
*''
Darwinia neildiana''
F.Muell. – fringed bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia nubigena''
Keighery – success bell, red mountain bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia oederoides''
(Turcz.) Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia oldfieldii''
Benth. – Oldfield's darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia oxylepis
''Darwinia oxylepis'', commonly known as Gillham's bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as a dense, upright shrub high, and produces large numbers of red inflorescences prominently displayed on the ends of the branchlets ...
''
(Turcz.) N.G.Marchant & Keighery – Gillam's bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia pauciflora''
Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia peduncularis''
B.G.Briggs (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia pimelioides''
Cayzer & F.W.Wakef. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia pinifolia''
(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 ...
) Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia polycephala''
C.A.Gardner (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia polychroma''
Keighery – harlequin bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia procera''
B.G.Briggs (N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia purpurea''
(Endl.
Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Pressburg, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botan ...
) Benth. – rose darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia salina''
Craven & S.R.Jones (S.A.)
*''
Darwinia sanguinea''
(Meisn.) Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia speciosa''
(Meisn.) Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia squarrosa''
(Turcz.) Domin – fringed mountain bell, pink mountain bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia taxifolia''
A.Cunn.
Allan Cunningham (13 July 1791 – 27 June 1839) was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in Australia to collect plants.
Early life
Cunningham was born in Wimbledon, Surrey, England, the son of Allan Cu ...
(N.S.W.)
*''
Darwinia terricola''
Keighery – Blackwood bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia thymoides''
(Lindl.) Benth. (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia vestita''
(Endl.) Benth. – pom-pom darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia virescens''
(Meisn.) Benth. – Murchison darwinia (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia whicherensis
''Darwinia whicherensis'', commonly known as the Abba bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with linear leaves and bell-shaped, flower-like inflorescences ...
''
Keighery – Abba bell (W.A.)
*''
Darwinia wittwerorum''
N.G.Marchant & Keighery – Wittwer's darwinia (W.A.)
Gallery
Image:Darwinia chapmanniana (leaves and flowers).jpg, '' Darwinia chapmaniana'' in Kings Park
Image:Darwinia collina 1.JPG, ''Darwinia collina
''Darwinia collina'', commonly known as the yellow mountain bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as an erect shrub high with crowded elliptical leaves and bright yellow flower-like inflorescences. It is endemic to a few sm ...
'' on Bluff Knoll
Bluff Knoll is the highest peak of the Stirling Range in the Great Southern (Western Australia), Great Southern region of Western Australia (WA). It is above sea level, with a prominence of 650 m (2,130 ft). The local Aboriginal peop ...
Image:Darwinia sp. Mt Burdett.jpg, ''Darwinia'' sp. Mt Burdett in Kings Park
Image:Darwinia grandiflora.JPG, '' Darwinia grandiflora'' in Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria at Cranbourne Gardens, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (the second division being the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, located in the centre of Melbourne). It is located in the suburb of ...
Image:Darwinia hypericifolia.jpg, '' Darwinia hypericifolia'' in Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
Image:DarwiniaPlant.jpg, '' Darwinia leiostyla'' in the Stirling Range, Western Australia
Image:Darwinia oldfieldii KP gnangarra-10.jpg, '' Darwinia oldfieldii''
Image:Darwinia taxifolia subsp macrolaena.jpg, '' Darwinia taxifolia'' subsp. ''macrolaena'' in Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
Image:Darwinia wittwerorum (leaves and flowers).jpg, '' Darwinia wittwerorum'' in Kings Park, Perth
Kings Park, (Noongar: ''Kaarta Gar-up'') is a park overlooking Perth Water and the central business district of Perth, Western Australia.
The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical gardens and natural bushland on Mount Eliza wit ...
References
External links
FloraBase - Flora of Western Australia: ''Darwinia''Australian National List of Threatened Flora
{{Taxonbar, from=Q661610
Myrtaceae genera
Rosids of Western Australia
Endemic flora of Australia