Darwinia oldfieldii
Darwinia oldfieldii is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with oblong leaves and dense heads of erect, red flowers.
| Oldfield's darwinia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Darwinia oldfieldii in Kings Park, Perth | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Darwinia |
| Species: | D. oldfieldii |
| Binomial name | |
| Darwinia oldfieldii | |
 | |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Description
Darwinia oldfieldii is an erect, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 15–50 cm (5.9–19.7 in). Its leaves are oblong with a blunt tip, usually less than 4.2 mm (0.17 in) long, with the edges curved down. The flowers are red and arranged in dense, hemispherical clusters of 10 to 12 or more, surrounded by overlapping, scaly bracts that are shorter than the flowers. The sepals are about 6.5 mm (0.26 in) long with small, scale-like lobes and the petals are egg-shaped and nearly 3.2 mm (0.13 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to November.[2][3]
Taxonomy
First formally described in 1865 by George Bentham, the description was published in the Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany in 1867 from a specimen collected by Augustus Oldfield near the Murchison River.[4][5] The specific epithet (oldfieldii) honours the collector of the type specimens.[6]
Distribution and habitat
Darwinia oldfieldii grows in sandy soil on sandplains and on rocky ocean ledges in the Geraldton Sandplains bioregion of western Western Australia, including in Kalbarri National Park.[3]
Conservation status
This darwinia is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[3]
References
- "Darwinia oldfieldii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- Bentham, George (1867). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 3. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- "Darwinia oldfieldii". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- "Darwinia oldfieldii". APNI. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- Bentham, George (1867). "Note on the genera Darwinia, Rudge, and Bartlingia, Ad.Brongn". Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany. 9: 180. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 265. ISBN 9780958034180.
