Verticordia harveyi
Encyclopedia
Verticordia harveyi is a spindly shrub found in Southwest Australia
.
It is commonly referred to by the name Autumn Featherflower.
The plants are upright and sparse, with one or several main stems, and a lignotuber
which provides the ability to regenerate after bushfire.
Ranging in height from 0.2 - 1.5 m high, the habit is an openly branched and slender shrub. The plant displays white, purple, and pink flowers sometime between January and April; these are erect and grouped in spike or corymb-like arrangement. The leaves are 8 to 12 mm in length, long, slender, and partly rounded, terminating in a long point. The floral leaf, similar to those on the stem, extends upward to cradle the inflorescence.
Verticordia harveyi occurs in white sand, on small hills, at the most southern region of the state.
Early records of specimen collections near Cape Riche exist to the 1950s, but could not be found again until its rediscovery in 1991. An occurrence at the Stirling Range
has since been recorded.
The first description of this species was published by George Bentham
in Flora Australiensis
. The type specimen for this description was collected by William Henry Harvey
in 1854, inspiring the specific epithet. A similar specimen preserved by George Maxwell in 1860 has been identified as this species, a syntype
, and was probably collected at the same location.
The infrageneric arrangement of Verticordia
, published by Alex George
in 1991, has this species included within section
Verticordia sect. Verticordia
, which is contained by Verticordia subg. Verticordia
.
Another related species of the region, Verticordia pityrhops, can be distinguished by its dense arrangement of the leaves, and the smaller flowers. The plant frequently occurs with - and misidentified as - another Verticordia, the subspecies Verticordia sieberi subsp. lomata.
Verticordia harveyi has been assessed, and gazetted, as rare taxa. The known populations are small and some of these colonies are exposed to changes in land use. The recently discovered colonies are located in a National Park, but these would be insufficient to maintain the viability of the species.
Southwest Australia
Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of five such regions in the world...
.
It is commonly referred to by the name Autumn Featherflower.
The plants are upright and sparse, with one or several main stems, and a lignotuber
Lignotuber
A lignotuber is a starchy swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem by fire. The crown contains buds from which new stems may sprout, and a sufficient store of nutrients to support a period of growth in the absence of...
which provides the ability to regenerate after bushfire.
Ranging in height from 0.2 - 1.5 m high, the habit is an openly branched and slender shrub. The plant displays white, purple, and pink flowers sometime between January and April; these are erect and grouped in spike or corymb-like arrangement. The leaves are 8 to 12 mm in length, long, slender, and partly rounded, terminating in a long point. The floral leaf, similar to those on the stem, extends upward to cradle the inflorescence.
Verticordia harveyi occurs in white sand, on small hills, at the most southern region of the state.
Early records of specimen collections near Cape Riche exist to the 1950s, but could not be found again until its rediscovery in 1991. An occurrence at the Stirling Range
Stirling Range
The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 337 km south-east of Perth. It is located at approximately and is over 60 km wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranbrook...
has since been recorded.
The first description of this species was published by George Bentham
George Bentham
George Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
in Flora Australiensis
Flora Australiensis
Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory, more commonly referred to as Flora Australiensis, and also known by its standard abbreviation Fl. Austral., is a seven-volume flora of Australia published between 1863 and 1878 by George Bentham, with the assistance of...
. The type specimen for this description was collected by William Henry Harvey
William Henry Harvey
William Henry Harvey was an Irish botanist who specialised in algae.- Biography :William Henry Harvey was born at Summerville near Limerick, Ireland, in 1811, the youngest of 11 children. His father Joseph Massey Harvey, was a Quaker and prominent merchant...
in 1854, inspiring the specific epithet. A similar specimen preserved by George Maxwell in 1860 has been identified as this species, a syntype
Syntype
In biological nomenclature, a syntype is a term used to indicate a specimen with a special status.In zoological nomenclature, a syntype is defined as "Each specimen of a type series from which neither a holotype nor a lectotype has been designated [Arts. 72.1.2, 73.2, 74]. The syntypes...
, and was probably collected at the same location.
The infrageneric arrangement of Verticordia
Verticordia
Verticordia, a genus of the Myrtaceae family, are woody shrubs with small and exquisite flowers. They are mostly found in Southwest Australia, with several outlier species in northern regions. A revision of the genus in 1991 produced a classification within Verticordia of 3 subgenera, 24 sections,...
, published by Alex George
Alex George
Alexander Segger George is a Western Australian botanist. He is the authority on the plant genera Banksia and Dryandra...
in 1991, has this species included within section
Section (botany)
In botany, a section is a taxonomic rank below the genus, but above the species. The subgenus, if present, is higher than the section, and the rank of series, if present, is below the section. Sections are typically used to help organise very large genera, which may have hundreds of species...
Verticordia sect. Verticordia
Verticordia sect. Verticordia
Verticordia sect. Verticordia is a section of Verticordia that describes a group of eight shrub species. The section is contained by the subgenus Verticordia subg. Verticordia in Alex George's 1991 infrageneric arrangement...
, which is contained by Verticordia subg. Verticordia
Verticordia subg. Verticordia
Verticordia subg. Verticordia is a botanical name for a grouping of similar plant species in the genus Verticordia. This subgenus contains eleven sections, classifying thirty six species, of Alex George's infrageneric arrangement. A number of anatomical features differentiate the contained species...
.
Another related species of the region, Verticordia pityrhops, can be distinguished by its dense arrangement of the leaves, and the smaller flowers. The plant frequently occurs with - and misidentified as - another Verticordia, the subspecies Verticordia sieberi subsp. lomata.
Verticordia harveyi has been assessed, and gazetted, as rare taxa. The known populations are small and some of these colonies are exposed to changes in land use. The recently discovered colonies are located in a National Park, but these would be insufficient to maintain the viability of the species.