Kangaroo paw 260920 gnangarra 15 years-101

Kangaroo paw is the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

for a number of species, in two genera of 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 ...

, that are native to the south-west of

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 th ...

. These

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...

perennial plants are noted for their unique bird-attracting flowers. The tubular flowers are coated with dense hairs and open at the apex with six claw-like structures which resemble

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

forelimbs, and it is from this paw-like formation that the common name "kangaroo paw" is derived. The kangaroo paw plant has been introduced into

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and has been grown as a new ornamental crop mainly in

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...

under a subtropical climate.Satou, Ichinoe, Fukumoto, Tezuka, & Horiuchi. (2001). Fusarium blight of kangaroo paw (anigozanthos spp.) caused by fusarium chlamydosporum and fusarium semitectum.''Journal of Phytopathology, 149''(3‐4), 203-206. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0434.2001.00588.x

History

The genus Anigozanthos' author was French botanist Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière, who first collected the kangaroo paw in 1792 near Esperance. Red and green kangaroo paw or Kurulbrang (

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

) was introduced to England in 1833, and was first described in 1836 by botanist

David Don David Don (21 December 1799 – 15 December 1841) was a Scottish people, Scottish botanist. Biography David Don was born on 21 December 1799 at Doo Hillock, Forfar, Angus, Scotland to Caroline Clementina Stuart, and her husband George Don of ...

. The specific name ''manglesii'' is so named in honour of the first individual to raise the specimen from seed, Robert Mangles, which he did in his English garden. His experience with growing the specimen is recorded in letters to his brother James Mangles. The red and green kangaroo paw was adopted as the state emblem of Western Australia in a proclamation on 9 October 1960. An image of a red and green kangaroo paw was superimposed onto a view of Perth from a distance on a 5 pence stamp, issued 1 November 1962, commemorating the Seventh British Empire and Commonwealth Games which were held in Perth that year. The stamp was designed by R. M. Warner. The red and green kangaroo paw was again included on a stamp on 10 July 1968, which were six cent stamps in a series of state floral emblems. It was designed by Nell Wilson. In 1990, disease was found on the kangaroo paw plant in Okinawa. The unreported fungi, which caused the plant to become very limp and wilt, was characterised by a discolouration of the plant leaving it a brown to black colour around the stalks, leaves and base of the plant. As the plant began to discolour over time, white cottony mycelia started to appear at the surface of the lesions and then the plant eventually died.

Cultivation and Cut Flowers

The plant is native to south-western Australia, occurring naturally from the Murchison River in the North to

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

and Mount Barker in the South, and

Lake Muir Lake Muir is a freshwater lake, with a larger surrounding wetlands area, that is located in the South West region of Western Australia. The lake lies near Muirs Highway, north of Walpole and southeast of Manjimup. Description The lake has a ...

to the East. It has been developed as a cut-flower crop in the United States, Israel and Japan. In Israel, plants are propagated from tissue culture imported from Australia and are then grown in unheated greenhouses in natural day conditions. The plants have found their way to California and become popular among garden supply businesses there.

Research

Research leading up to 2020 has been able to produce many new colours for the kangaroo paw including blues, purples, whites, and many more. This has led to genetic research and DNA sequencing similar to that carried out on Snapdragons to understanding the colours of the flower. Other research has been conducted that indicates an extract of the plant may help firm the skin as it targets young cells causing increased collagen output.

Classification

From the genus ''

Anigozanthos ''Anigozanthos'' is a genus of Southwest Australian plants of the bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. The 11 species and their subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw or catspaw, depending on their size, and the shape and color of their flo ...

'': * ''

Anigozanthos bicolor ''Anigozanthos bicolor'', commonly known as cat's paw, little kangaroo paw or two coloured kangaroo paw, is a grass-like perennial herb native to the south western coastal parts of Western Australia. Description The rhizomatous plant typically ...

'' Endl. (little kangaroo paw) ** ''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''bicolor'' (two-coloured kangaroo paw) ** ''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''decrescens'' ** ''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''exstans'' ** ''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''minor'' * ''

Anigozanthos flavidus ''Anigozanthos flavidus'' is a species of plant found in Southwest Australia. It is member of the Haemodoraceae family. It is commonly known as the tall, yellow, or evergreen, kangaroo paw. The specific epithet, ''flavidus'', refers to the yello ...

'' DC. (tall kangaroo paw) * ''

Anigozanthos gabrielae ''Anigozanthos gabrielae'' is a species of ''Anigozanthos'' in the family Haemodoraceae known as dwarf kangaroo paw. This flowering, rhizomatous, perennial plant is endemic to Southwest Australia and grows on sand in areas which are wet in winter ...

'' Domin (dwarf kangaroo paw) * ''

Anigozanthos manglesii ''Anigozanthos manglesii'', commonly known as the red-and-green kangaroo paw, Mangles' kangaroo paw, Kurulbrang (Noongar), is a plant species endemic to Western Australia, and the floral emblem of that state. The flower has become symbolic of ...

'' D.Don (red-and-green kangaroo paw) ** ''Anigozanthos manglesii'' ssp. ''manglesii'' ** ''Anigozanthos manglesii'' ssp. ''quadrans'' * '' Anigozanthos pulcherrimus'' Hook. (golden kangaroo paw) * ''

Anigozanthos rufus ''Anigozanthos rufus'' is a grass-like evergreen perennial plant native to the southern coasts of Western Australia. Common names include red kangaroo paw, crimson kangaroo paw, and backdraft. Description The red kangaroo paw grows to a height o ...

'' Labill. (red kangaroo paw) * ''

Anigozanthos viridis ''Anigozanthos viridis'', commonly known as Green Kangaroo Paw, is a grass-like perennial herb native to south western coastal regions of Western Australia. The Noongar peoples know the plant as Koroylbardany. Description The rhizomatous plant t ...

'' Endl. (green kangaroo paw) ** ''Anigozanthos viridis'' subsp. ''terraspectans'' Hopper (dwarf green kangaroo paw) ** ''Anigozanthos viridis'' subsp. ''metallica'' (metallic green kangaroo paw) From the genus '' Macropidia'': * ''

Macropidia fuliginosa ''Macropidia fuliginosa'', the sole species of genus ''Macropidia'', is a perennial rhizomatous flowering plant. A relation of the kangaroo paws, '' Anigozanthus'', which are also endemic to Southwest Australia, it is referred to as the black k ...

'' (Hook.) Druce (black kangaroo paw)

References

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External links