''Isopogon ceratophyllus'', commonly known as the horny cone-bush or wild Irishman, is a plant of the family

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Pro ...

that is endemic to the coast in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a 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 of Australia's states and territories ...

and on the

Furneaux Group The Furneaux Group is a group of approximately 100 islands located at the eastern end of Bass Strait, between Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The islands were named after British navigator Tobias Furneaux, who sighted the eastern side of th ...

of islands in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. It is a small woody shrub that grows to 100 cm high with prickly foliage. It is extremely sensitive to dieback from the pathogen ''

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 ...

Description

''Isopogon ceratophyllus'' is a prickly shrub, growing to 15–100 cm (6–40 in) tall and to 120 cm (4 ft) across. The oval to round flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear between July and January, and are around 3 cm in diameter.

Taxonomy

''Isopogon ceratophyllus'' was first described by Robert Brown in his 1810 work ''

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 is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

words ''cerat-'' "horn" and ''phyllon'' "leaf", relating to the leaves' resemblance to antlers. In 1891, German botanist

Otto Kuntze Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze (23 June 1843 – 27 January 1907) was a German botanist. Biography Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig. An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled ''Pocket Fauna of Leipzig''. Between 1863 and 1866 he ...

published ''

Revisio generum plantarum ''Revisio Generum Plantarum'', also known by its standard botanical abbreviation ''Revis. Gen. Pl.'', is a botanic treatise by Otto Kuntze. It was published in three volumes; the first two of these appeared in 1891, and the third was published in ...

'', his response to what he perceived as a lack of method in existing nomenclatural practice. Because ''Isopogon'' was based on ''

Isopogon anemonifolius ''Isopogon anemonifolius'', commonly known as broad-leaved drumsticks, is a shrub of the family Proteaceae that is native only to eastern New South Wales in Australia. It occurs naturally in woodland, open forest, and heathland on sandstone soi ...

'', and that species had already been placed by Richard Salisbury in the segregate genus ''Atylus'' in 1807, Kuntze revived the latter genus on the grounds of priority, and made the new combination ''Atylus ceratophyllus'' for this species. However, Kuntze's revisionary program was not accepted by the majority of botanists. Ultimately, the genus ''Isopogon'' was nomenclaturally conserved over ''Atylus'' by the

International Botanical Congress International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotat ...

of 1905. Common names include ''horny cone bush'' and, from Kangaroo Island, ''wild Irishman''.

Distribution and habitat

The species ranges from south-western Victoria into the south-eastern corner of South Australia and in the

of Bass Strait islands, principally

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

, Cape Barren and Clarke Islands. A King Island record has not been reconfirmed and is unlikely. It is the only ''Isopogon'' species found in South Australia. It grows on sandy soils in open eucalyptus forest or woodland. or heathland.

Ecology

''Isopogon ceratophyllus'' is extremely sensitive to dieback (infection by the pathogen ''

''). Fieldwork in the Brisbane Ranges in 1994 showed that ''I. ceratophyllus'', which had been common in areas before dieback and had vanished along with other sensitive species, had yet to return after 30 years. This was despite other sensitive species, such as grasstree (''

Xanthorrhoea australis ''Xanthorrhoea australis'', the grass tree, austral grasstree or blackboy, is an Australia, Australian plant. It is the most commonly seen species of the genus ''Xanthorrhoea''. Its trunk can grow up to several metres tall and is often branched ...

''), smooth parrot-pea (''

Dillwynia glaberrima ''Dillwynia glaberrima'', the smooth parrot-pea, is a plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to Australia. Description This species is a spreading or erect shrub to 2 metres in height with cylindrical leaves to 2.5 cm long, with a short, ...

''), erect guinea flower (''

Hibbertia stricta ''Hibbertia stricta'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a small, usually upright shrub with hairy foliage, linear leaves and yellow flowers with six or seven stamens arranged arou ...

'') and prickly broom heath ('' Monotoca scoparia''), eventually regenerating around 10 years post-infection. All Tasmanian populations are at risk of eradication by ''P. cinnamomi''. Plants are perishing at Wingaroo Nature Reserve on Flinders Island from exposure to the pathogen.

Cultivation

Rarely cultivated, it is slow growing and requires well-drained yet moist sandy soils. It would suit a rockery garden.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6086233 Flora of South Australia Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia)

ceratophyllus ''Ceratophyllus'' is a widespread genus of fleas found in temperate climates. Some of its members include the chicken flea, '' Ceratophyllus gallinae'', and the poultry flea, '' Ceratophyllus niger''. Species * '' Ceratophyllus adustus'' Jordan ...

Plants described in 1810