Calothamnus oldfieldii

Calothamnus oldfieldii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with needle-shaped leaves and clusters of red flowers with 5 petals and 5 stamen bundles. (In 2014 Craven, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed Melaleuca augusti-oldfieldii.)[2]

Calothamnus oldfieldii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Calothamnus
Species:
C. oldfieldii
Binomial name
Calothamnus oldfieldii
Synonyms

Melaleuca augusti-oldfieldii Craven & R.D.Edwards

Description

Calothamnus oldfieldii is a small shrub growing to a height of about 1.5 metres (5 ft). Its leaves are 25–50 millimetres (1–2 in) long and nearly circular in cross section and taper to a pointed end.[3][4]

The flowers are bright red and arranged in small groups and the stamens are arranged in 5 claw-like bundles. Flowering occurs from July to November and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules about 5 millimetres (0.2 in) long.[3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Calothamnus oldfieldii was first formally described in 1862 Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected near the Murchison River by Augustus Oldfield.[1][5] The specific epithet (oldfieldii) honours the collector of the type specimens.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Calothamnus oldfieldii occurs in the Carnarvon, Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo biogeographic regions[4] where it grows in sandy kwongan.[3][6]

Conservation

Calothamnus oldfieldii is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian government department of parks and wildlife.[4]

References
  1. "Calothamnus oldfieldii". APNI. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  2. Craven, Lyn A.; Edwards, Robert D.; Cowley, Kirsten J. (31 July 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. 115. ISBN 9781877058844.
  4. "Calothamnus oldfieldii". FloraBase. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1862). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 3. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 113. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  6. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 351. ISBN 0646402439.
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