''Verticordia'' × ''eurardyensis'', commonly known as Eurardy magenta, 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 a small area in 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 shrub similar to both '' Verticordia dichroma'' and '' Verticordia spicata'' which grow in the same area and is thought to be a stable

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

between those two species. It has mostly egg-shaped leaves and spike-like groups of dark magenta-coloured flowers which fade to straw-coloured, in late spring and early summer.

Description

''Verticordia'' × ''eurardyensis'' is a shrub which grows to a height of and up to wide. The leaves are arranged in

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 ...

pairs, egg-shaped to elliptic, dished and long. Their margins are slightly hairy or have minute teeth. The flowers are scented and arranged in spike-like groups near the ends of the branches, each flower on a spreading stalk about 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, about long, has 5 ribs, large green appendages and is glabrous and wrinkled. 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 about long, dark magenta to maroon and spreading, with 8 to 11 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 the same colour as the sepals, about long and erect with a fringe a further long. The style is about long, hairy and bent near the tip. Flowering time is from October to December. The plants appear to be a stable hybrid between two verticordia species - '' V. dichroma'' and '' v. spicata'', both of which occur in the same area.

Taxonomy and naming

''Verticordia'' × ''eurardyensis'' was first formally described by Elizabeth and

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 1994 from a specimen collected from

Eurardy Reserve Eurardy Reserve is a nature reserve in Western Australia. It is north of Geraldton, south of Carnarvon and north of Perth. It lies on the northern edge of the South West Botanical Province, adjoining Kalbarri National Park, and is owned a ...

. The description was published in ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

''. 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 ...

(''× eurardyensis'') is derived from the location where the species is found. George placed this species in subgenus ''Eperephes'', section ''Pennuligera'' along with '' V. comosa'', '' V. chrysostachys'', '' V. lepidophylla'', '' V. aereiflora'', '' V. dichroma'', '' V. muelleriana'', '' V. argentea'', '' V. albida'', '' V. fragrans'', '' V. venusta'', '' V. forrestii'', '' V. serotina'', '' V. oculata'', '' V. etheliana'' and '' V. grandis''.

Distribution and habitat

This verticordia grows in sand in low heath and shrubland. It only occurs in Eurardy Reserve, a former pastoral station north of

Kalbarri National Park Kalbarri National Park is located north of Perth, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The major geographical features of the park include the Murchison River gorge which runs for nearly on the lower reaches of the Murchison River. Sp ...

in the Geraldton Sandplains

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'' × ''eurardyensis'' is classified as " Priority One" 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.

Use in horticulture

Only a few specimens of ''Verticordia'' × ''eurardyensis'' have been propagated and only in Kings Park Botanic Garden.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verticordia eurardyensis eurardyensis Rosids of Western Australia Eudicots of Western Australia Plants described in 1994 Plant nothospecies