''Isopogon latifolius'' is a shrub 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 southwest botanical province of Western Australia.

Description

''Isopogon latifolius'' grows as a woody shrub with an erect habit to 3 m (10 ft) high. The new growth is covered in fine hairs. The thick narrow leaves are 4–14 cm long and obovate to oval in shape. They are glabrous (smooth) with faint veins and end in a sharp point (apex), Flowering takes place between September and December, the showy pink flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear at the ends of branches above the foliage. They are up to 8 cm in diameter.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1830, based on material collected by William Baxter at King George's Sound. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin words ''latus'' "wide" and ''folium'' "leaf". 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'', his response to what he perceived as a lack of method in existing nomenclatural practice. Because ''Isopogon'' was based on '' Isopogon anemonifolius'', 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 latifolius'' 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 of 1905.

Distribution and habitat

''Isopogon latifolius'' is found from Albany and the

Stirling Range The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth. It is over wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranb ...

eastwards to the vicinity of Cheyne Bay. It grows on hilltops and stony outcrops and slopes, in association with sandstone, quartzite and schist. It grows in heath, scrub, or low woodland.

Ecology

This plant is extremely sensitive to dieback from '' Phytophthora cinnamomi'' and is at risk of extinction from it in the wild. ''I. latifolius'' can take over five years to flower from seed, meaning it can be locally eradicated by too-frequent fire intervals.

Cultivation

The showiest of the isopogons, ''I. latifolius'' can be grown in regions with low humidity and in positions with good drainage, but will die readily if these conditions cannot be met. It has been grafted successfully onto '' Isopogon anethifolius''. ''I. latifolius'' is used in the cut flower industry.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q16948476 Endemic flora of Western Australia Eudicots of Western Australia latifolius Plants described in 1830 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)