''Verticordia sieberi'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

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 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 ...

. It is a shrub with one main stem, often compact but sometimes openly branched and with pink to pale purple flowers in summer and autumn.

Description

''Verticordia sieberi'' is a shrub with a single main branch and which usually grows to a height of less than . It is sometimes a compact, small shrub but may also be openly branched with the flowers held high above most of the foliage. The leaves are linear to elliptic, long and semi-circular in cross-section. The flowers are scented and arranged in round or

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...

-like groups near the ends of the branches, each flower on an erect 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 about long, smooth and hairy. The

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 are spreading, long, white to deep pink with 5 to 7 feathery lobes. 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 a similar colour to the petals, erect, about long, with short hairs around its edge. The style is long, curved and hairy near the tip. Flowering time is usually from November to April but can occur at other times, depending on weather conditions.

Taxonomy and naming

''Verticordia sieberi'' was first formally described by

Johannes Conrad Schauer Johannes Conrad Schauer (16 February 1813 – 24 October 1848) was a botanist interested in Spermatophytes. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and attended the gymnasium of Mainz from 1825 to 1837. For the next three years he worked at the Hofgar ...

in 1841 from an unpublished description by Karl Diesing. Schauer's description was published in ''Monographia Myrtacearum Xerocarpicarum''. 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 ...

(''sieberi'') honours the Austrian botanist

Franz Sieber Franz Wilhelm Sieber (30 March 1789 – 17 December 1844), was a botanist and collector who travelled to Europe, the Middle East, Southern Africa and Australia. Early life Franz Sieber was born in Prague, Bohemia on 30 March 1789. After 5 ...

. In his review of the genus in 1991,

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 ...

placed this species in subgenus ''Verticordia'', section ''Verticordia'' along with '' V. crebra'', '' V. helichrysantha'', '' V. plumosa'', '' V. stenopetala'', '' V. harveyi'', '' V. pityrhops'', and '' V. fimbrilepis''.George, A.S. (1991) New taxa, combinations and typifications in ''Verticordia'' (Myrtaceae: Chamelaucieae). ''Nuytsia'' 7(3): 254 George described four varieties: * ''Verticordia sieberi'' Schauer var. ''sieberi'' which has sepals longer than and petals with smooth or slightly toothed edges; * ''Verticordia sieberi'' var. ''curta'' A.S.George which has sepals shorter than ; * ''Verticordia sieberi'' var. ''lomata'' A.S.George which is similar to var. ''sieberi'' but has petals with feathery or hairy edges and leaves less than wide; * ''Verticordia sieberi'' var. ''pachyphylla'' A.S.George which is similar to var. ''lomata'' but has leaves wide.

Distribution and habitat

This verticordia usually grows in sand, often in areas that are wet in winter, in heath and shrubland. It occurs along the south coast of Western Australia and inland near

Frank Hann National Park Frank Hann National Park is a national park in Western Australia, located east-southeast of the capital, Perth in the Shire of Lake Grace. It was named for Frank Hann, an early explorer of the district. The park contains a wide array of flora, ...

and between Hyden and

Lake King Lake King is a town in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, from Perth along State Route 40 between Kelmscott and Ravensthorpe. As of 2016, the town had a population of 95. The 2011 census recorded both the population of the tow ...

in the

Esperance Plains Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a pl ...

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 ...

, Coolgardie, and Mallee

biogeographic region An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

Conservation

''Verticordia sieberi'' var ''pachyphylla'' is classified as "

Priority One Prioritization is an action that arranges items or activities in order of importance. Priority may refer specifically to: Law * Priority or right of way on the road, see Traffic § Priority (right of way) ** Priority signs, a traffic sign that ...

" 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 ...

, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk. The other varieties are classified as "Not Threatened".

Use in horticulture

All the varieties of ''V. sieberi'' have proven difficult to propagate and establish in gardens and success in growing the species is rare.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15390585 sieberi Rosids of Western Australia Eudicots of Western Australia Plants described in 1841