Verticordia helichrysantha
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| Verticordia helichrysantha | ||||||||||||||
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| Verticordia helichrysantha F.Muell. ex Benth. |
Verticordia helichrysantha is a rare shrub found amongst heath on the southern coast of Western Australia. It is commonly referred to by the name Coast Featherflower.
The species is a small, woody shrub, ranging in height from 300 - 500 mm high. The habit is low growing, somewhat sprawling, and openly branched; it may possess one or several basal stems. The plant displays green and yellow flowers sometime between May and September; these are erect and are often irregular in arrangement. The grey-green leaves are 3 to 8 mm in length, may be crowded, and are somewhat rounded in their profile and blunt tip. The floral leaves are similar to those on the stem. The small pale leaves and flower parts are covered in short hairs that distinguish this taxon from other Verticordia.
Verticordia helichrysantha occurs in sand over spongolite and limestone on coastal plains and cliffs. This species is found amongst coastal heath, along with cogenors Verticordia fastigiata and Verticordia habrantha, at a western location of the Esperance Plains region. The distribution is restricted an area west of Mt. Barren to Cape Riche, it has been recorded once at a location near Kambellup. The species was not recorded between 1965, a record by Ken Newbey, and the rediscovery in 1982 by Norm Stevens for the Verticordia Reference Collection.
The first description of this species was published by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis. [1] A specimen was collected by George Maxwell in the Phillips Range at an unknown date, this was nominated as the lectotype by Alex George. The infrageneric arrangement of Verticordia, published by George in 1991, has this species included within section Verticordia sect. Verticordia, which is contained by Verticordia subg. Verticordia. Another related species of the region, Verticordia crebra, can be be distinguished by its long and slender leaves, and the lack of hairs on its flower parts. This plant can also be differentiated from its Verticordia longistylis by its smaller leaves, variation is colouring, and less sprawling habit.
Verticordia helichrysantha has been declared, and gazetted, as rare taxa.[2] The known populations are small and exposed to changes in land use. This species does not possess a lignotuber, and is therefore vulnerable to bushfire; the impact of deliberate burn-off has been recorded at the site of its rediscovery.
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[edit] References
- George (Berndt), Elizabeth A.; Margaret Pieroni (illustrations) (2002). Verticordia: the turner of hearts. Crawley: University of Western Australia Press, 180 Plate 23. ISBN 1 876 268 46 8.
- Verticordia helichrysantha. FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
- Verticordia helichrysantha. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
