Adenanthos glabrescens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adenanthos glabrescens |
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| Adenanthos glabrescens subsp. exasperatus | |
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Adenanthos
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| Species: |
glabrescens
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Adenanthos glabrescens is a type of small shrub. It grows only in the Ravensthorpe area of Western Australia. This plant was first officially described in 1978. There are two main types of Adenanthos glabrescens, which scientists call subspecies.
What it Looks Like
Adenanthos glabrescens grows as a straight-up shrub. It can reach about 70 centimeters (2.3 feet) tall. Its flowers can be pinkish-red or cream-colored. The tube-like part of the flower is about 22 millimeters long. The style, which is part of the flower, is about 35 millimeters long.
The leaves are usually oval-shaped and smooth. They can grow up to 25 millimeters long and about 6 millimeters wide. Sometimes, the leaves might have small lobes.
This plant looks quite similar to another species called A. dobsonii. The main difference is in their leaves. A. dobsonii leaves keep soft hairs, both long and short. But A. glabrescens leaves only have short hairs, which soon fall off.
How it's Classified
Scientists group living things into categories. This is called taxonomy. Adenanthos glabrescens was first collected by botanists as early as 1924. But it wasn't until 1978 that Ernest Charles Nelson officially named and described it. He did this in his big study of the Adenanthos plant group.
Nelson found a plant near Lake King in 1973. He used this plant as the "type specimen" for the new species. He named it glabrescens. This name comes from a science word meaning "losing hairs". It refers to how the leaves of this plant lose their hairs over time.
Nelson placed A. glabrescens into a group called Adenanthos section Adenanthos. This was because its flower tube is mostly straight.
There are two main types, or subspecies, of Adenanthos glabrescens:
- A. glabrescens subsp. glabrescens has long, thin leaves. It also has a lignotuber, which is a woody swelling at the base of the stem. This helps the plant regrow after a fire. It grows in deep sand near and south of Lake King.
- A. glabrescens subsp. exasperatus has oval-shaped leaves, similar to A. dobsonii. It does not have a lignotuber. This subspecies grows in rocky areas with gravelly sand. It is found in the Fitzgerald River National Park and east of Ravensthorpe.
A. glabrescens is most closely related to A. dobsonii.
Where it Grows
Adenanthos glabrescens is only found in the Ravensthorpe area of Western Australia. You can find it in places like Lake King, the Fitzgerald River area, and east of Ravensthorpe. It likes to grow in deep sand and gravelly sand, often among other scrub plants.
Growing it in Gardens
This plant is grown at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. But it is not very well known to regular gardeners. It probably isn't the best plant for a typical garden. However, it might be useful in special rockery gardens.
See also
In Spanish: Adenanthos glabrescens para niños
