''Verticordia auriculata'' is a
flowering plant in the myrtle
family,
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 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 ...
of
Western Australia. It is a small, multi-branched shrub with small leaves and spikes of pink to magenta-coloured flowers in late spring to early summer and it is widespread in the
wheatbelt.
Description
''Verticordia auriculata'' is a highly branched shrub with a single stem at the base and which grows to a height of and a width of . Its leaves are broadly elliptic in shape, long, dished and have short hairs along their edges.
The flowers are scented and arranged in spike-like groups near the ends of the branches, each flower on a stalk long. The
floral cup
In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...
is top-shaped, long, and has 5 ribs and a pitted surface. The
sepals are pale pink to magenta, long, with 4 or 5 feather-like lobes and prominent, silvery appendages. The
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 are egg-shaped, pink to magenta, long, slightly rough to touch and have a thread-like fringe. The
style is about long, S-shaped and has hairs about long. Flowering time is from October to January.
Taxonomy and naming
''Verticordia auriculata'' was first formally described by
Alex George Alexander or Alex George may refer to:
*Alex George (botanist) (born 1939), Australian botanist
* Alexander L. George (1920–2006), American political scientist
* Alexander George (philosopher), American philosopher
*Alex George (motorcyclist), Sc ...
in 1991 and the description was published in ''
Nuytsia'' from specimens collected near
Perenjori.
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 ...
(''auriculata'') is derived from a
Latin word meaning "having ear-like appendages"
referring to the appendages on the sepals.
George placed this species in subgenus
''Eperephes'', section
''Verticordella'' along with ''
V. pennigera'', ''
V. halophila'', ''
V. blepharophylla'', ''
V. lindleyi'', ''
V. carinata'', ''
V. drummondii'', ''
V. wonganensis'',''
V. paludosa'', ''
V. luteola'', ''
V. attenuata'', ''
V. tumida'', ''
V. mitodes'', ''
V. centipeda'', ''
V. bifimbriata'', ''
V. pholidophylla'', ''
V. spicata'' and ''
V. hughanii''.
Distribution and habitat
This verticordia grows in sand, often over other substrates, often in association with other verticordias, in heath or shrubland.
It is widespread in areas between
Mullewa,
Yalgoo,
Moonijin and
Mukinbudin in the
Avon Wheatbelt,
Geraldton Sandplains and
Yalgoo biogeographic regions
A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions.
De ...
.
Conservation
''Verticordia auriculata'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government
Department of Parks and Wildlife
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...
.
Use in horticulture
In cultivation ''V. auriculata'' is usually a compact shrub with scented flowers, making it an attractive garden plant, but it has proven difficult to establish. It seems to prefer sand with some gravel added but will not tolerate phosphorus-containing fertiliser. Further experiments need to be undertaken to establish its requirements for horticulture. It has been propagated from seed and from
cuttings but fungal diseases can cause problems for young plants.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7922883
auriculata
Rosids of Western Australia
Eudicots of Western Australia
Plants described in 1991