Beaufortia eriocephala

Beaufortia eriocephala

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Rosids
Order:Myrtales
Family:Myrtaceae
Genus:Beaufortia
Species: B. eriocephala
Binomial name
Beaufortia eriocephala
Synonyms

Melaleuca lachnocephala Craven & R.D.Edwards

Beaufortia eriocephala, commonly known as woolly bottlebrush or woolly beaufortia, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It differs from other beaufortias in having woolly red flowers and hairy younger leaves, with mature leaves that are less than 1 mm (0.04 in) wide.

Description

Beaufortia eriocephala is a compact shrub which grows to a height of 0.5 m (2 ft) and 0.4 m (1 ft) wide. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are linear to narrowly lance-shaped, 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and 0.4–0.7 mm (0.02–0.03 in) long. The leaves are hairy but become glabrous with age.[1][2][3]

The flowers are arranged in almost spherical heads on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. The flowers have 5 sepals, 5 petals and 5 bundles of stamens. The stamen bundles contain 3 to 5 stamens each, with the joined part deep red, hairy and 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.14 in) long. The free part of the stamens is red to purple and a further 3–4.5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. Flowering occurs from October to December and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules 8.5–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long.[1][2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca eriocephala was first formally described in 1905 by the Australian botanist, William Vincent Fitzgerald in Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society.[4] The specific epithet ("eriocephala") is from the Ancient Greek ἔριον (érion) meaning "wool"[5]:864 and κεφαλή (kephalḗ) meaning "head".[5]:399

Distribution and habitat

Beaufortia eriocephala occurs in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions.[2] It grows on slopes in sandy soils derived from laterite.[6]

Conservation

Beaufortia eriocephala is classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife,[2] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Burbidge, Andrew A. (2016). "A taxonomic revision of Beaufortia (Myrtaceae: Melaleuceae)". Nuytsia. 27: 184–185.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Beaufortia eriocephala". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. 1 2 Fitzgerald, William Vincent (1905). "Some new species of West Australian Plants". Botanisches Centralblatt. 99: 599. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "Melaleuca eriocephala". APNI. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 349. ISBN 0646402439.
  7. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
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