Verticordia Plumosa Var
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clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...
genus, see ''Verticordia'' (bivalve). ''Verticordia'' is a
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 ...
of more than 100 species of plants commonly known as featherflowers, 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 ...
. They range in form from very small shrubs such as '' V. verticordina'' to trees like '' V. cunninghamii'', some spindly, others dense and bushy, but the majority are woody shrubs up to tall. The flowers are variously described as "feathery", "woolly" or "hairy" and are found in most colours except blue. They often appear to be in rounded groups or spikes but in fact are always single, each flower borne on a separate stalk in a leaf
axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
. Each flower has five
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 and five
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 all of a similar size with the sepals often having feathery or hairy lobes. There are usually ten
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 alternating with variously shaped
staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...
s. 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 simple, usually not extending beyond the petals and often has hairs near the tip. All but two species are found in
Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Aus ...
, the other two occurring in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
. The first scientific collection of verticordia specimens was made in 1791 and the first formal description of a verticordia was written in 1826 but the name ''Verticordia'' was not used until 1828. Alex George undertook a revision of the genus and in 1991 published a paper describing three subgenera, 24 sections, and 102 species. ''Verticordia'' species occupy a wide variety of habitats, with some species widespread and abundant whilst others are rare and endangered. The profuse and striking display of intricate flowers of many species has led them to being harvested for
floristry Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...
or simply admired as a
wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the w ...
.


Description

The genus is best known for its
flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
, often described in superlatives, which form massed displays in woodlands and heaths. These shrubs have appealed to amateur collectors and botanists, and were appreciated by the peoples of Australia before European settlement. The fringed or feathered appearance of the flowers is often enhanced by vivid and contrasting colours: this has given a common name for the genus, featherflower. The variety displayed within the species, and between species in the genera is highly diverse. The genus is part of the family Myrtaceae which exist, predominantly, in the southern hemisphere. The family was highly successful in southern
Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...
, remaining as the highly diverse tree and woody shrub genera found in Australia. ''Verticordia'' are native to Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and are closely related to ''
Chamelaucium ''Chamelaucium'', also known as waxflower, is a genus of shrubs endemic to south western Western Australia. They belong to the myrtle family Myrtaceae and have flowers similar to those of the tea-trees (''Leptospermum''). The most well-known spe ...
'', ''
Rylstonea ''Homoranthus'' is a genus of about thirty species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and all are endemic to Australia. Plants in this genus share similarities with those in both '' Darwinia'' and ''Verticordia''. They are shrubs with their ...
'', and '' Darwinia''. The genus ''
Homoranthus ''Homoranthus'' is a genus of about thirty species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and all are endemic to Australia. Plants in this genus share similarities with those in both '' Darwinia'' and '' Verticordia''. They are shrubs with th ...
'', found in other states of Australia, contains two species previously supposed to be ''Verticordia''. The single flowers are often presented erect, these may be supported individually or grouped into tight displays of various arrangements. They may appear in succession or at once. The colour often varies as the flower ages, further adding to a painterly effect. 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 divided into lobes, with the exception of ''
Verticordia verticordina ''Verticordia verticordina'' is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area near the coast of the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, low-growing shrub with crowded leaves and in spring, scattered ...
'', in a variety of thread-like or feathery forms. The colour of the sepals and
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 is highly diverse, it may be solid, or variable, or mutable. These may be of several colours, or solid, the striking combinations are of all colours except blue. There is no unisexual flowers in the species. Different species may be growing together, their massed displays creating painterly contrasts in flowering landscapes. They are highly variable in appearance, often as a woody shrub, low or up to 2 metres, two tropical species are 7 metres. Branches may be upright or splayed out, sometimes pendulous, and are tightly or sparsely arranged. Leaves are very small or medium, scattered or opposite, and might be ciliated at the margin. The leaf shape is highly variable across, and these may differ at the base and floral leaves on individuals. Hybrids of different species have been recorded and identified. A variant, known as 'Eric John', appears to be an intergeneric cross between ''V. plumosa'' and '' Chamelaucium floriferum''.


Taxonomy

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 ...
was the first
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an naturalist to make collections of verticordias. Menzies sailed on HMS ''Discovery'' during the
Vancouver Expedition The Vancouver Expedition (1791–1795) was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy. The British expedition circumnavigated the globe and made contact with five continen ...
and made his collections in October 1791 near
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 ...
, but these specimens would remain undescribed for 35 years. The first formal description of a plant now known as a verticordia was by
René Desfontaines René (''Born again (Christianity), born again'' or ''reborn'' in French language, French) is a common given name, first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is th ...
in 1826. Desfontaines described a specimen which Robert Brown had collected at
Lucky Bay Lucky may refer to: *An adjective of luck Lucky may also refer to: Film and television * '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty * ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by Avi ...
in January 1802. Brown had been engaged as naturalist aboard HMS ''Investigator'' led by
Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...
. The specimen was given the name ''Chamaelaucium brownii'', in honour of Brown. The first formal description of 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 ...
''Verticordia'' was written in 1828 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 ...
and published in his ''
Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis ''Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis'' (1824–1873), also known by its standard botanical abbreviation ''Prodr. (DC.)'', is a 17-volume treatise on botany initiated by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. De Candolle intended it as a summa ...
''. De Candolle transferred ''Chamelaucium brownii'' (as ''
Verticordia brownii ''Verticordia brownii'', commonly known as pink brownii or pink cauliflower is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has small, neatly arranged, oval leaves and heads of pal ...
'') and ''Chamelaucium fontanesii'' (now known as ''
Verticordia plumosa ''Verticordia plumosa'', commonly known as plumed featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It was the first specie ...
'') to the new genus but did not nominate a
type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
or provide an
etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
for the name. It is possible that the type for ''Chamelaucium fontanesii'' was collected by Archibald Menzies in 1791 but collections of this species had also been made by Leschenault in 1803. The derivation of the name ''Verticordia'' was not explained by de Candolle, but it has generally been taken as a reference to the epithet of the ancient Roman goddess
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
. Venus's sacred flower was the myrtle, of a plant in same 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 ...
) as ''Verticordia''. The name ''Verticordia'', literally translated, means 'turner of hearts'. Other early additions to the genus were '' V. cunninghamii'' named in 1843 by Johannes Schauer for a collection made by Allan Cunningham, and '' V. huegelii'' and '' V. insignis'' collected by
Charles von Hügel Charles von Hügel (born Carl Alexander Anselm Baron von Hügel; 25 April 1795 – 2 June 1870), sometimes spelt in English Huegel, was an Austrian nobleman, army officer, diplomat, botanist, and explorer, now primarily remembered for his tra ...
and described by
Stephan Endlicher Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. Bio ...
in 1837. The
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
botanist
Ludwig Preiss Johann August Ludwig Preiss (21 November 1811 – 21 May 1883) was a German-born British botanist and zoologist. Early life Preiss was born in Herzberg am Harz. He obtained a doctorate, probably at Hamburg, then emigrated to Western Australia. ...
collected more than 2,000 species of plants whilst living in Western Australia, including those named '' V. endlicheriana'', '' V. habrantha'' and '' V. lehmannii'' by Schauer in 1843. In 1991, Alex George undertook a review of the genus and described 84 new species, subspecies, and varieties. All were grouped into three
subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...
and twenty-four
sections Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...
. His infrageneric classification was supported by a study of
chromosome number Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...
in ''Verticordia'' and of barriers to hybridisation. In 2010, George described a new species, '' V. setacea'' and new subspecies of '' V. mitchelliana. At present, the subgenera are ''Chrysoma'' with seven sections and twenty-one species, subgenus ''Verticordia'' with eleven sections and thirty-six species, and subgenus ''Eperephes'' with six sections and forty-four species.


Distribution and habitat

''Verticordia'' occur naturally in woodlands, sandy heaths and on granite outcrops. The mediterranean climate, sandy soils of the Southwest of the state, is where the greatest number of ''Verticordia'' species are found.


Use in horticulture

''Verticordia'' are known for their feather-like or fringed flowers, the beauty of these is invariably included in any description. This has been accompanied by a high desirability as a garden plant, and as a cut flower. Restrictions exist on the collection of wildflowers in Western Australia, but previous collection of flowers for the floral industry is thought to have placed some species under duress. They are generally somewhat difficult to grow in cultivation, but some success has been achieved. The most reliable species is ''V. Plumosa'', the Plumed Featherflower, but many other species are found in highly specialised habitat. Outside of their natural habitat ''Verticordia'' have shown consistently good results in the temperate regions of Australia. All species require excellent drainage and prefer Mediterranean-type climate of very dry summers and wet winters. The cultivation of ''Verticordia'' in the Eastern states of Australia has proved difficult; many of the species are intolerant of the wet summers of those regions, especially with regard to root or collar rot and moulds and mildew. The successes achieved by some growers have been through the use of
bell jar A bell jar is a glass jar, similar in shape to a bell (i.e. in its best-known form it is open at the bottom, while its top and sides together are a single piece), and can be manufactured from a variety of materials (ranging from glass to differe ...
s, attention to soil types and potting mixes, and, experimentally, the use of grafting onto plants of related genera, such as ''
Darwinia citriodora ''Darwinia citriodora'', commonly known as lemon-scented darwinia or lemon scented myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with oblong t ...
'' and Geraldton Wax, '' Chamelaucium uncinatum''.


See also

*
List of Verticordia species The following is a list of ''Verticordia'' species accepted by the Australian Plant Census as at December 2020: *''Verticordia acerosa'' Lindl. *''Verticordia aereiflora'' Eliz.George & A.S.George *''Verticordia albida'' A.S.George *''Verticord ...
File:Verticordia enlicheriana manicula.jpg, '' V. endlicheriana'' near
Mount Lesueur Mount Lesueur is a near-circular, flat-topped mesa located from Jurien Bay in Western Australia. It rises above the surrounding lateritic plain of Lesueur National Park which has eroded away around it. Mount Lesueur was first sighted and nam ...
File:Verticordia halophila 0158.jpg, '' V. halophila'' in the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria at Cranbourne Gardens, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (the second division being the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, located in the centre of Melbourne). It is located in the suburb of C ...
File:Verticordia huegelii (8693062198).jpg, '' V. heugelii'' File:Verticordia mitchelliana 1.jpg, '' V. mitchelliana'', in
Australian National Botanic Gardens The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in , Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Established in 1949, the Gardens is administered by the Australian Government's Departme ...
File:Fleurs roses inconnues.JPG, '' V. monadelpha'' File:Verticordia nitens flowers Gingin.jpg, '' V. nitens'' near Gingin File:Verticordia plumosa.jpg, '' V. plumosa'', in
Maranoa Gardens Maranoa Gardens began in the early 1890s, when Mr John Middleton Watson purchased 1.4 hectares in Balwyn, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, for a private garden. He planted many Australian and New Zealand native trees and shrubs and the area ...


References

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External links

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