Verticordia oculata
| Verticordia oculata | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Verticordia |
| Subgenus: | Verticordia subg. Eperephes |
| Section: | Verticordia sect. Pennuligera |
| Species: | V. oculata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Verticordia oculata | |
Verticordia oculata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a sprawling woody shrub with large, circular leaves with white edges and silver-white flowers with a dark centre of lilac and purple, the largest flowers of the genus Verticordia. The botanist Ferdinand von Mueller reportedly became entranced by its floral display when he visited the northern sandplains area in 1877, later describing the shrub as the 'princess of Australian flora'.[1]
Description
Verticordia oculata is a shrub which grows to a height of between 20 and 70 cm (0.7 and 2 ft) and sprawls to a width of 0.3–1.0 m (1–3 ft). It has a lignotuber, from which several or many main stems emerge. The leaves are almost circular in shape, 4–11 mm (0.2–0.4 in) in diameter with a distinct white margin, lack a stalk and attach directly to the stem.[2][3]
The flowers are 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) in diameter and are grouped in a spreading arrangement at the upper parts of the stem on stalks 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. The
Taxonomy and naming
The species was first formally described in 1856 by Carl Meissner, from a collection made by James Drummond in 1850 or 1851.[4][5] The specific epithet (oculata) is derived from the Latin word oculus meaning "eye"[6]: 312 with the suffix -atis which converts a noun into an adjective, hence "eye-like",[6]: 312 referring to the eye-like dark colouration in the centre of the flower.[2]
This species and Verticordia etheliana are thought to have created a hybrid, which was discovered then lost to bushfire in the Kalbarri National Park. The collectors cloned material from their specimen and continue to propagate the natural hybrid, now known as Verticordia 'Wemms find'.[2]
When
Distribution and habitat
Verticordia oculata is found growing with several other species of the
Conservation
This verticordia is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[8]
Use in horticulture
This small shrub has been described as "spectacularly beautiful" and both it and the hybrid Verticordia 'Wemms find' have horticultural potential. Its branching habit, pale leaves and large flowers are especially attractive but it is not well known in cultivation outside Western Australia, where some examples have grown for more than 14 years. It can be propagated from cuttings but when grown on its own roots, tends to suffer from fungal attack, especially in humid areas such as Sydney. Established plants grown in Western Australia have shown to be frost resistant and have tolerated heavy summer rainfall.[2]
References
- ISBN 1876268468.
- ^ ISBN 1-876268-46-8.
- ^ ISBN 9781877058844.
- ^ "Verticordia oculata". APNI. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Meissner, Carl (1857). "On some new species of Chamaelaucieae". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London (Botany). 1: 41–42. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ a b Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
- ^ George, Alex (1991). "New taxa, combinations and typifications in Verticordia (Myrtaceae : Chamelaucieae)". Nuytsia. 7 (3): 231–394.
- ^ Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.