Conospermum quadripetalum explained

Conospermum quadripetalum is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a diffuse, straggly shrub with hooked leaves, circular in cross section, and panicles of blue, tube-shaped flowers with white and red hairs.

Description

Conospermum quadripetalum is a spreading, loose shrub that typically grows to a height of up to . Its leaves are long, wide and circular in cross section with a hooked tip. The flowers are arranged in panicles, each branch on a peduncle long,with two to six flowers on the end. The bracteoles are greenish-blue, long and wide and hairy. The flowers are blue or white form a tube long, covered with woolly, white and red hairs. The perianth lobes are more or less equal, long and wide. Flowering occurs in September and November.[1]

Taxonomy

Conospermum quadripetalum was first formally described in 1995 by Eleanor Marion Bennett in the Flora of Australia from specimens she collected near the Scott River Road in 1985.[2] The specific epithet (quadripetalum) means 'four-petalled', referring to the petal lobes that are almost equal.[3]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Conospermum is found on flats behind coastal hills along the south coast in the Jarrah Forest and Warren bioregions of Western Australia, where it grows in sandy-clay soils.

Conservation status

Conospermum quadripetalum is listed as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bennett . Eleanor M. . Conospermum quadripetalum . Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra . 21 October 2024.
  2. Web site: Conospermum quadripetalum . Australian Plant Name Index . 21 October 2024.
  3. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180 . 289 . 3rd.
  4. Web site: Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna. Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. 21 October 2024.