''Gastrolobium propinquum'' is a
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 trees ...
in the family
,
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
Southwest Australia savanna region, which is toxic to many animals. It has been given the common name Hutt River poison.
Description
A low growing and bushy shrub, reaching 1 or 1.8 metres in height. The flowers appear from June to September in its native habitat. These are orange, yellow and red, their bracts are chestnut brown, and are held in long and slender
racemes
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
extends beyond the ends of the branchlets, in an uncrowded display, and also appear at the leaf axils. The branches may be spreading, erect, or whorled, the branchlets are angled. Leaves appear in threes, are between 30 and 50 millimetres long, slightly folded along the central vein and finely pointed at the tip.
This species can only be distinguished from its near relation, ''
Gastrolobium oxylobioides'', when the species are in flower.
Taxonomy
The species was formally described in 1955 by the state's botanist
C.A.Gardner in ''New Species of Toxic Plants from Western Australia'', published in
The Western Australian Naturalist
''The Western Australian Naturalist'' (also known as ''The Naturalist''), is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Western Australian Naturalists' Club. It publishes original research on topics related to the natural history of Western Au ...
. The epithet of the botanical name is from the Latin ''propinquus'' (closely connected), is a reference to the close relationship of the species with ''Gastrolobium oxylobioides''.
Distribution
This species is usually found along hills and flats, favouring drainage and seasonally wet areas. Soil types are usually clay, sandy or clay-loam, and occurrence in granite and shale. It is known to occur in two regions, specimen collections have been made in the
Avon Wheatbelt
The Avon Wheatbelt is a bioregion in Western Australia. It has an area of . It is considered part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion.
Geography
The Avon Wheatbelt bioregion is mostly a gently undulating landscape with low reli ...
and in the
Geraldton Sandplains
Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...
to the west.
References
External links
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5526857
propinquum
Plants described in 1955
Rosids of Western Australia
Endemic flora of Western Australia