''Anigozanthos'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of Southwest Australian plants of the bloodwort family

Haemodoraceae Haemodoraceae is a family of perennial herbaceous flowering plants with 14 genera and 102 known species. It is sometimes known as the "bloodwort family". Primarily a Southern Hemisphere family, they are found in South Africa, Australia and New ...

. The 11 species and their subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw or catspaw, depending on their size, and the shape and color of their flowers. A further species, previously identified as ''Anigozanthos fuliginosus'' (black kangaroo paw), was separated to a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

genus as ''

Macropidia fuliginosa ''Macropidia fuliginosa'', the sole species of genus ''Macropidia'', is a perennial rhizomatous flowering plant. A relation of the kangaroo paws, '' Anigozanthus'', which are also endemic to Southwest Australia, it is referred to as the black k ...

''. The species are recognised by their unusual flowers, numerous hybrids and cultivars have been developed for cultivation and floristry in recent years; kangaroo paws are much in demand as house plants and as cut flowers. The red-and-green kangaroo paw is the floral emblem of Western Australia.

Taxonomy

The genus was first named by

Jacques Labillardière Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière (28 October 1755 – 8 January 1834) was a French biologist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition. He pub ...

, a French botanist, in his work, ''

Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse ''Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse'' is an 1800 book that gives an account of the 1791-1793 d'Entrecasteaux expedition to Australasia. The title refers to the search for La Pérouse, who disappeared in the region in 1788, a popu ...

'', issued in 1800; he collected and described the

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 specime ...

, ''

Anigozanthos rufus ''Anigozanthos rufus'' is a grass-like evergreen perennial plant native to the southern coasts of Western Australia. Common names include red kangaroo paw, crimson kangaroo paw, and backdraft. Description The red kangaroo paw grows to a height o ...

'', during the

d'Entrecasteaux Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux () (8 November 1737 – 21 July 1793) was a French naval officer, explorer and colonial governor. He is perhaps best known for his exploration of the Australian coast in 1792, while ...

expedition's visit to Southwest Australia in 1792. However, he does not provide a meaning for this name in his description. C.A. Gardener derived it from the Greek words ''ánisos'' "unequal" and ''ánthos'' "flower" according to La Billardiere's description of its collective petals as 'irregular' and 'in the form of a tube divided at its extremities into six unequal parts', he assumed the "g" was inserted for

euphony Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century and ...

. The common name 'kangaroo paw' was initially given to ''

Anigozanthos manglesii ''Anigozanthos manglesii'', commonly known as the red-and-green kangaroo paw, Mangles' kangaroo paw, Kurulbrang (Noongar), is a plant species endemic to Western Australia, and the floral emblem of that state. The flower has become symbolic of ...

'' and came to be used for other species of ''Anigozanthos'' as they became known. The origin of the name 'catspaw' is uncertain, but presumed to distinguish the compact size of the plant and flowers from others of the genus. Kangaroo paws refers to a grouping of species resembling ''A. manglesii'', with elongated red and green (or green) flowers and greater overall size.

Description

These

perennials A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

are

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 else ...

to dry sandy,

siliceous Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

areas of southwest Australia, but they occur as well in a variety of other environments and soil types. They are grown commercially in Australia, the United States, Japan and Israel. The plant grows from short, underground, horizontal rhizomes. The length and the character of these may vary between the species: some are fleshy, others are fragile. The

sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...

in the

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

system allows the plants to survive extreme dry spells. In summer, a number of species die back to the rhizome, growing back in autumn. The plants have a basal rosette of long green to greyish-green leaves. The leaves of some species are hairy. From the heart of this roset merge long leafless stalks, which can reach 2 m, ending in a raceme of

flower 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 ...

s. The size and height of these stalks, which can be clothed in coloured hairs, varies between the species. The

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

ous flower

bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...

s are also covered with coloured hairs, giving it a velvety aspect. These long furry hairs also determine the colour of the flower, which may range from almost black to yellow, orange and red. Some species are even dichromatic (as ''Anigozanthos manglesii''). The tubular form of the flower bud resembles a kangaroo paw, hence its name. The flower tip spreads fanlike into six petals. Full-grown plants can have up to ten flowers at the end of each stalk.

Species

The genus comprises 11 species, some species with subspecies recognised by

FloraBase ''FloraBase'' is a public access web-based database of the flora of Western Australia. It provides authoritative scientific information on 12,978 taxa, including descriptions, maps, images, conservation status and nomenclatural details. 1,272 alie ...

as rare or endangered taxa. *''

Anigozanthos bicolor ''Anigozanthos bicolor'', commonly known as cat's paw, little kangaroo paw or two coloured kangaroo paw, is a grass-like perennial herb native to the south western coastal parts of Western Australia. Description The rhizomatous plant typically ...

'' Endl. (little kangaroo paw) **''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''bicolor'' (two-coloured kangaroo paw) **''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''decrescens'' **''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''exstans'' **''Anigozanthos bicolor'' ssp. ''minor'' *''

Anigozanthos flavidus ''Anigozanthos flavidus'' is a species of plant found in Southwest Australia. It is member of the Haemodoraceae family. It is commonly known as the tall, yellow, or evergreen, kangaroo paw. The specific epithet, ''flavidus'', refers to the yello ...

'' DC. (tall kangaroo paw) *''

Anigozanthos gabrielae ''Anigozanthos gabrielae'' is a species of ''Anigozanthos'' in the family Haemodoraceae known as dwarf kangaroo paw. This flowering, rhizomatous, perennial plant is endemic to Southwest Australia and grows on sand in areas which are wet in winter ...

'' Domin (dwarf kangaroo paw) *''

Anigozanthos humilis ''Anigozanthos humilis'' is a species of ''Anigozanthos'' in the family Haemodoraceae. This flowering perennial plant is endemic to Southwest Australia and widespread in its open forests. Common names include catspaw and common catspaw. Taxono ...

'' **''Anigozanthos humilis'' ssp. ''humilis'' (common catspaw) **''Anigozanthos humilis'' ssp. ''chrysanthus'' (Mogumber catspaw) **''Anigozanthos humilis'' ssp. ''grandis'' (tall catspaw) *''

Anigozanthos kalbarriensis ''Anigozanthos kalbarriensis'', commonly known as Kalbarri catspaw, is a grass-like perennial herb native to the south western coastal parts of Western Australia. Description The rhizomatous plant typically grows to a height of and blooms in sp ...

'' (Kalbarri catspaw) *''

'' D.Don (red-and-green kangaroo paw) **''Anigozanthos manglesii'' ssp. ''manglesii'' **''Anigozanthos manglesii'' ssp. ''quadrans'' *''

Anigozanthos onycis ''Anigozanthos onycis'', the branched catspaw, is a rarely seen plant found in Southwest Australia. Taxonomy ''Anigozanthos onycis'' was first described by Alex George in 1974. George assigned the epithet ''onycis'' for the clawed appearance ...

'' (branched catspaw) *'' Anigozanthos preissii'' (Albany catspaw) *'' Anigozanthos pulcherrimus'' Hook. (golden kangaroo paw) *''

'' Labill. (red kangaroo paw) *'' Anigozanthos viridis'' Endl. **''Anigozanthos viridis'' subsp. ''viridis'' (green kangaroo paw) **''Anigozanthos viridis'' subsp. ''terraspectans'' Hopper (dwarf green kangaroo paw) **''Anigozanthos viridis'' subsp. ''metallica'' (metallic green kangaroo paw)

Commercial hybrids

The popularity of ''Anigozanthos'', as a garden plant or commercially produced cut-flower, has led to the development of

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s. The

Australian Cultivar Registration Authority The Australian Cultivar Registration Authority (ACRA) is the International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for Australian plant genera, excluding those genera or groups for which other ICRAs have been appointed. It is a committee of repr ...

lists twenty seven registered names and descriptions of cultivars derived from the genus. A larger number of patents for these, accepted or granted 'varieties', are recorded in the

Plant breeders' rights Plant breeders' rights (PBR), also known as plant variety rights (PVR), are rights granted to the breeder of a new variety of plant that give the breeder exclusive control over the propagating material (including seed, cuttings, divisions, tissue ...

database.

Gallery

Image:Bush-Pearl-in-RBG-Cranbourne.jpg, ''Anigozanthos'' Bush Pearl 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 ...

File:Anigozanthos.flavidus3.jpg, Tall kangaroo paw – yellow flowers. Image:Anigozanthos flavidus close-up.jpg, Kangaroo paw close-up. File:Anigozanthos rambubona 1.jpg, ''Anigozanthos'' 'Rambubona'.

References

External links

* *
Western Australian Herbarium: ''Anigozanthos''
Department of Environment and Conservation {{Taxonbar, from=Q1795386 Commelinales of Australia Angiosperms of Western Australia Commelinales genera