Calothamnus microcarpus

Calothamnus microcarpus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, either compact or spreading shrub with flat leaves and clusters of red flowers in spring. (In 2014 Craven, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed Melaleuca microcarpa.)[2]

Calothamnus microcarpus

Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Calothamnus
Species:
C. microcarpus
Binomial name
Calothamnus microcarpus
Synonyms

Melaleuca microcarpa (F.Muell.) Craven & R.D.Edwards

Description

Calothamnus microcarpus is an erect shrub with an otherwise variable habit, growing to a height of 1.0–1.5 metres (3–5 ft). Its leaves are flat and have two grooves along both the upper and lower surfaces.[3]

The flowers are bright red and arranged in small groups and the stamens are arranged in 4 claw-like bundles. Flowering occurs in spring and is followed by fruits which are small, woody capsules about 5 millimetres (0.2 in) in diameter.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Calothamnus microcarpus was first formally described by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1862 in Volume 3, Part 21 of Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[1][4] The specific epithet microcarpus is derived from the ancient Greek words mikros (μικρός) meaning "small" and karpos (καρπός) meaning "fruit".[6]

Distribution and habitat

Calothamnus microcarpus occurs in the Esperance Plains and Jarrah Forest biogeographic regions where it grows in clay and sandy soils.[7]

Conservation

Calothamnus microcarpus is classified as "Priority Four" by the Western Australian government Department of Parks and Wildlife[5] meaning that is rare or near threatened.[8]

References
  1. "Calothamnus microcarpus". APNI. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  2. Craven, Lyn A.; Edwards, Robert D.; Cowley, Kirsten J. (30 June 2014). "New combinations and names in Melaleuca (Myrtaceae)". Taxon. 63 (3): 666. doi:10.12705/633.38.
  3. Hawkeswood, Trevor J. (1984). "Nine new species of Calothamnus Labill. (Myrtaceae: Leptospermoideae) from Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 5 (1): 125. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  4. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1862). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (Volume 3). Melbourne. p. 31. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. "Calothamnus microcarpus". FloraBase. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. Backer, C.A. (1936). Verklarend woordenboek der wetenschappelijke namen van de in Nederland en Nederlandsch-Indië in het wild groeiende en in tuinen en parken gekweekte varens en hoogere planten (Edition Nicoline van der Sijs).
  7. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 351. ISBN 0646402439.
  8. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
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