Beaufortia anisandra, commonly known as dark beaufortia, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a densely branched shrub with egg-shaped, upward pointing leaves and which bears heads of dark bluish-purple to red flowers with stamen bundles of different lengths. It is reported to have an unpleasant odour.
Beaufortia anisandra is a densely branched shrub which grows to a height of 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are egg-shaped to lance-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, rigid, concave in cross section with a midvein and several faint lateral veins.[1] [2] [3]
The flowers are red to dark purplish red and are arranged in roughly spherical heads on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering. The flowers have 5 sepals, 5 petals and 5 bundles of stamens. The stamens are joined for most of their length, with about 3 separate filaments extending beyond the joined part. Some bundles are more than 19sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long while others in the same flower are much shorter. The variation is stamen length in the individual flowers is a distinguishing feature of this beaufortia. Flowering occurs from January to July or from October to December and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and more or less clustered.
Its occurrence at Cape Riche was noted in 1854 by William Henry Harvey ("Dr. Harvey") who wrote: "It always reminds me of Sir Francis B., because I remember your telling me that he likes a plant to have a bad smell rather than none at all; and this namesake of his would surely please him, for it has an awful stench."[4]
Beaufortia anisandra was first formally described in 1843 by Johannes Conrad Schauer in Dissertatio phytographica de Regelia, Beaufortia et Calothamno.[5] The specific epithet (anisandra) means "unequal male", referring to the length of the stamens.[6]
Beaufortia anisandra mainly occurs near Albany and Esperance in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains and Jarrah Forest bioregions of south-western Western Australia. It grows in sand and rocky quartzite soils on hills, rocky outcrops and plains.[7]
Beaufortia anisandra is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.