Calothamnus blepharospermus

Calothamnus blepharospermus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the west coast of Western Australia. It is an upright, spreading, bushy shrub with red flowers in summer. It grows in sandy soil in scrubby country called kwongan. (In 2014 Craven, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed Melaleuca blepharosperma.)[2]

Calothamnus blepharospermus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Calothamnus
Species:
C. blepharospermus
Binomial name
Calothamnus blepharospermus
Synonyms[1]
  • Calothamnus blepharosperma F.Muell. orth. var.
  • Calothamnus blepharospermus F.Muell. var. blepharospermus
  • Melaleuca blepharosperma (F.Muell.) Craven & R.D.Edwards

Description

Calothamnus blepharospermus is a shrub growing to a height of 2–3 metres (7–10 ft) with leaves 38–76 millimetres (1.5–3.0 in) in length and 5–7 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) wide, very narrow egg-shaped with the narrow end towards the base, the other end tapering to a sharp point.[3][4]

The flowers are red with the stamens arranged in five bundles, each 30–40 millimetres (1–2 in) long, the outer surface of the petals, the flower stalk and the hypanthium all densely hairy. Flowering occurs in January to February or in July and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules about 25 millimetres (1 in) long.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Calothamnus blepharospermus was first formally described in 1862 by Ferdinand von Mueller from a specimen found "in desert near the Murchison River by Oldfield".[6] The specific epithet blepharospermus is derived from the Greek words blepharon meaning "eyelid"[7]: 151  and sperma, spermatos meaning "seed".[7]: 694 

Distribution and habitat

Calothamnus blepharospermus occurs in the Geraldton Sandplains, Yalgoo biogeographic regions[5] where it grows in sand or sandy clay on plains and sand dunes.[8]

Conservation status

Calothamnus blepharospermus is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[5]

References
  1. "Calothamnus blepharospermus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. Craven, Lyn A.; Edwards, Robert D.; Cowley, Kirsten J. (30 June 2014). "New combinations and names in Melaleuca (Myrtaceae)". Taxon. 63 (3): 665. doi:10.12705/633.38.
  3. Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2009). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (3rd ed.). Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Rosenberg Publishing P/L. p. 114. ISBN 9781877058844. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  4. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1862). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (Vol. 3, No. 21). Vol. v.3 1862-63. Melbourne: Auctoritate Gubern. Coloniæ Victoriæ, Ex Officina Joannis Ferres. p. 111. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  5. "Calothamnus blepharospermus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. "Calothamnus blepharospermus". APNI. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  8. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora: a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 350. ISBN 978-0646402437.
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