''Verticordia plumosa'', commonly known as plumed featherflower, 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 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 was the first species in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

to be described, although initially given the name ''Chamelaucium plumosum''. It is a shrub with linear leaves and rounded groups of scented pink, mauve or white flowers. Two varieties of this species have been declared as being "threatened". Verticordia plumosa detail

Description

''Verticordia plumosa'' is usually an openly branched shrub which grows to a height of . Its leaves are linear in shape, semi-circular in cross-section and long. The flowers are scented and arranged in rounded 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 on stalks 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 ...

hemispherical A sphere () is a Geometry, geometrical object that is a solid geometry, three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

in shape, long, smooth but 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 pink, mauve or white, long and spread widely with 3 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 sepals, elliptic to egg-shaped, long and are initially spreading but later turn upwards. The

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

is long, curved and hairy near the tip. Flowering time differs, depending on the variety.

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described by

René Louiche Desfontaines René Louiche Desfontaines (14 February 1750 – 16 November 1833) was a French botanist. Desfontaines was born near Tremblay, Ille-et-Vilaine , Tremblay in Brittany. He attended the Collège de Rennes and in 1773 went to Paris to study medi ...

in 1839 and given the name ''Chamelaucium plumosum''. The description was published in ''Mémoires du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle''. In 1917, George Druce changed the name to ''Verticordia plumosa'' and the change was published in a supplement of ''The Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles Report''. Details of the specimens used in the first description of the species are uncertain. The plant was probably first collected by

Archibald Menzies Archibald Menzies ( ; 15 March 1754 – 15 February 1842) was a Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist. He spent many years at sea, serving with the Royal Navy, private merchants, and the Vancouver Expedition. He was the first recorded Euro ...

, October 1791 and the type collection may have been made in 1803 by Jean Leschenault. Both collections were probably made at the

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

, Western Australia. William Baxter collected another early specimen in 1829. The plant was also given the name ''Verticordia fontanesii'' by

Augustin de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

in 1828 but that nomination is no longer accepted. 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 ...

(''plumosa'') 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 ''pluma'' meaning "feather", referring to the feathery sepals. In a revision of the genus ''

Verticordia :For the clam genus, see ''Verticordia'' (bivalve). ''Verticordia'' is a genus of more than 100 species of plants commonly known as featherflowers, in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. They range in form from very small shrubs such as '' V. vertico ...

'' in 1991, Alex George placed this species in subgenus ''Verticordia'', section ''Verticordia'', along with '' V. crebra'', '' V. harveyi'', '' V. helichrysantha'', '' V. stenopetala'', '' V. sieberi'', '' V. pityrhops'' and '' V. fimbrilepis''. He also recognised the following varieties: *''Verticordia plumosa'' ( Desf.) Druce var. ''plumosa'' *''Verticordia plumosa'' var. ''ananeotes'' A.S. George (1991) *''Verticordia plumosa'' var. ''brachyphylla'' (

Diels Diels is the last name of several people: * Rudolf Diels (1900–1957), German politician * Otto Diels (1876–1954), German scientist noted for his work on the Diels–Alder reaction * Ludwig Diels (1874–1945), German botanist * Hermann Diels ...

) A.S.George * ''Verticordia plumosa'' var. ''grandiflora'' ( Bentham) A.S.George * ''Verticordia plumosa'' var. ''incrassata'' A.S.George *''Verticordia plumosa'' var. ''pleiobotrya'' A.S.George *''Verticordia plumosa'' var. ''vassensis'' A.S.George A variant, known as 'Eric John', appears to be an intergeneric cross between ''V. plumosa'' and '' Chamelaucium floriferum''.

Habit and distribution

Plumed featherflower mainly occurs in near-coastal areas from the Arrowsmith River to areas east of Esperance but the variety ''intercrassa'' is found well inland to areas near Newdegate and Hyden.

Conservation

The varieties ''ananeotes'' and ''vassensis'' are classified as " Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" 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 ...

References

---- {{Taxonbar, from=Q7922917 plumosa Endemic flora of Western Australia Myrtales of Australia Rosids of Western Australia Plants described in 1819