Adenanthos cacomorphus facts for kids

The Adenanthos cacomorphus is a small shrub that belongs to the Proteaceae plant family. You can find it growing in the southwest part of Western Australia.

What It Looks Like

This plant, Adenanthos cacomorphus, grows as a small shrub, usually up to about one metre (3 feet) tall. It has a special woody base called a lignotuber, which helps it regrow after things like bushfires. Its leaves are soft and hairy, shaped a bit like a triangle with 3 to 5 (sometimes up to 7) points at the end.

The flowers are bright pink and grow one by one. Each flower has a pink outer part (called the perianth) that's about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long. It also has a long, thin part (called the style) that can be up to 3.5 cm (1.6 inches) long. You can usually see these pretty flowers during the warmer months, from November to March.

Adenanthos cacomorphus looks a lot like its close relative, the A. cuneatus. However, A. cacomorphus has leaves with deeper points and its flowers are a different color.

How It Got Its Name

Scientists started collecting samples of this plant way back in 1969. But it wasn't until 1978 that an Irish botanist named Ernest Charles Nelson officially described and named it. He based his description on a special plant sample, called a type specimen, that was collected by Kenneth Newbey in Fitzgerald River National Park in 1974.

Before naming the plant, scientists looked at its pollen. They noticed that some of the pollen grains were "grossly misshapen" – meaning they looked quite unusual and not their normal triangular shape. Because of this, Ernest Nelson chose the name cacomorpha. This name comes from Ancient Greek words: kakos, which means "ugly," and morphe, which means "form." So, the name basically means "ugly form," referring to the unusual pollen.

Later on, the rules for naming plants changed a bit. An international group (the ICBN) decided that all plant names ending in -anthos should be treated as masculine. So, A. cacomorpha became A. cacomorphus.

Scientists believe that A. cacomorphus might have come from a mix of two other similar plants, A. cuneatus and Adenanthos flavidiflorus, because it shares many features with both of them. These two plants also grow in the same areas.

Where It Lives

This plant is only found in southern Western Australia, specifically in and around the Fitzgerald River National Park. It grows in a type of shrubland called kwongan, usually in sandy soil or sandy gravel.

Looking After It

The Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation lists Adenanthos cacomorphus as Priority Two - Poorly Known. This means that scientists know about a few groups of these plants, and they don't think these groups are in immediate danger of disappearing. However, they still need more information about the plant to make sure it stays safe.

Growing It

You won't usually find Adenanthos cacomorphus growing in gardens or nurseries. It's quite rare, and other similar plants, like A. cuneata, are more common and easier to grow.

See also

In Spanish: Adenanthos cacomorphus para niños