''Regelia ciliata'' is a plant in the myrtle

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 speci ...

and is

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

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

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 ...

. It is a rigid, spreading shrub with paper-like bark on the stems, tiny wedge shaped leaves and dense heads of mauve flowers in spring and summer.

Description

''Regelia ciliata'' is rigid, spreading shrub which grows to a height of . The leaves are arranged in alternating pairs (

decussate Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...

) so that they make four rows along the stems. They are broadly egg-shaped, about long and wide and fringed with short hairs. The flowers are mauve and arranged in dense heads across on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. There are 5

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 coined b ...

s, 5

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and 5 bundles of

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 filame ...

s. Flowering occurs over an extended period in spring and summer and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules in small, almost spherical clusters around the stem.

Taxonomy and naming

''Regelia ciliata'' was the first of its genus to be formally described. The description was written in 1843 by J.C.Schauer in the journal ''Linnaea: Ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''ciliata'') is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''cilium'' meaning "eyelash" in reference to the fringe of hairs on the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This regelia occurs in the

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1573 ...

and Vasse River districts 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 ...

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. ...

Jarrah Forest Jarrah forest is tall open forest in which the dominant overstory tree is ''Eucalyptus marginata'' (jarrah). The ecosystem occurs only in the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia. It is most common in the biogeographic region named in ...

and

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

biogeographic regions. It grows in sand in areas that are wet in winter.

Ecology

''Regelia ciliata'' is a shallow-rooted species, tolerant of water-logged soils. It occurs on the Gnangara Groundwater Mound but as water is removed from this mound to supply water for

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, the populations of this species are in decline. A similar effect has been observed in ''

Astartea fascicularis ''Astartea fascicularis'' is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is endemic to southwestern Western Australia, where it is widespread in the Recherche Archipelago and present on the mainland in Cape Le Grand National ...

'', ''

Hypocalymma angustifolium ''Hypocalymma angustifolium'', the white myrtle, is a species of shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, endemic to the south west region of Western Australia. The Noongar peoples know the plant as koodgeed or kudjidi. It grows up to 1.5 metres ...

'' and '' Pericalymma ellipticum''.

Conservation

''Regelia ciliata'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian government department of parks and wildlife.

Use in horticulture

''Regelia ciliata'' is a hardy plant, especially compared to others in the genus and has been grown successfully in eastern Australia. It can be propagated from seed which is released from the fruit a few days after removal from the plant, or from cuttings taken in autumn. It will grow in full sun or partial shade and responds well to annual pruning and addition of fertiliser.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15380352 ciliata Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1843 Endemic flora of Western Australia