Verticordia mirabilis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the Gibson Desert. It is a bushy, spreading shrub with its leaves mostly crowded on short side branches and with large, deep red flowers in small groups in spring.
Verticordia mirabilis is a bushy shrub which grows to a height of NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 and about 60sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide but sometimes grows as high as 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1. Its leaves are crowded on short side-branches, linear in shape, triangular or almost circular in cross-section, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and have small, irregular teeth near the tips.[1]
The flowers are arranged singly or in small groups near the ends of the branches, each flower NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 in diameter on a thick stalk NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The floral cup is top-shaped, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long glabrous with 5 ribs and 5 large swellings near the top. The sepals are pale pink, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long 16sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and have 6 to 8 hairy lobes. The sepals also have two hairy, ear-like appendages which bend over the hypanthium. The petals are spreading, dark red, egg-shaped, sometimes have a few irregular teeth and are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The style is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long with a few hairs near the tip. Flowering time is mainly during September and October.
Verticordia mirabilis was first formally described by Elizabeth and Alex George in 2001 from specimen collected near Warburton and the description was published in Nuytsia.[2] [3] The specific epithet (mirabilis) is derived from a Latin word meaning "wonderful" or "strange"[4] referring to "the wonder and astonishment of discovering a species of Verticordia so far beyond the previously known occurrence of the genus, in a desert habitat."
This species was placed in subgenus Eperephes, section Integripetala along with helmsii, V. rennieana, V. interioris, and V. picta.
This verticordia is only found in lateritic soil on a rocky breakaway south of Warburton, growing with Verticordia jamiesonii in the Gibson Desert biogeographic region.
Verticordia mirabilis is classified as "Priority One" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.[5]
This recently discovered species has been propagated from cuttings and grown in pots to flowering stage but its horticultural requirements are not yet well understood.