Conospermum spectabile explained

Conospermum spectabile is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with S-shaped leaves that are circular in cross section, and panicles of woolly white and blue, tube-shaped flowers.

Description

Conspermum spectabile is an erect, compact shrub that typically grows to a height of up to . Its leaves are S-shaped, circular in cross-section, long and wide with scattered hairs. The flowers are arranged in panicles on the ends of branches, with D-shaped bracteoles long, wide and glabrous. The flowers are white and blue, forming a tube long, covered with woolly hairs. The upper lip is broadly egg-shaped, long and wide, the upper lobe long and wide. The lower lip is joined for long, with lobes long and wide. Flowering occurs from October to November.[1]

Taxonomy

Conospermum spectabile was first formally described in 1995 in the Flora of Australia from specimens collected by Charles Gardner in the Stirling Range in 1934.[2] The specific epithet (spectabile) means 'remarkable' or 'spectacular'.[3]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Conospermum is restricted to the Stirling Range in the Avon Wheatbelt and Esperance Plains bioregions of south-western Western Australia, where it grows in sandy soils.

Conservation status

Conospermum spectabile is listed as "Priority Two" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is poorly known and from one or a few locations.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bennett . Eleanor M. . Conospermum spectabile . Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra . 28 October 2024.
  2. Web site: Conospermum spectabile . Australian Plant Name Index . 28 October 2024.
  3. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180 . 310 . 3rd.
  4. Web site: Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna. Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. 28 October 2024.