Calectasia browneana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Calectasia browneana |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Calectasia
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| Species: |
browneana
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The blue tinsel lily, also known as Calectasia browneana, is a special plant from the Dasypogonaceae family. It grows as a spreading, tufted herb. This means it's a plant with soft stems, not woody ones, and it lives for more than two years (it's a perennial).
This lily is quite rare. It is endemic, meaning it only grows naturally in a few places in the south-west of Western Australia. Scientists only recognized it as its own species in 2001. It looks a lot like other Calectasia plants. However, you can tell it apart because its leaves are hairy and it doesn't have a special underground stem called a rhizome.
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What Does the Blue Tinsel Lily Look Like?
The blue tinsel lily is a small plant, growing up to about 60 cm (about 2 feet) tall. It has many short branches coming off its main stem. It also has "stilt roots," which are roots that grow above the ground, helping to support the plant.
Leaves and Flowers
Its leaves are thin and long, about 8 to 15 mm long and less than half a millimeter wide. They get narrower at the end, forming a sharp point. These leaves are covered in tiny, soft hairs.
The flowers are very pretty and look like stars. The bottom part of the petals forms a tube about 7 to 8 mm long. The outer parts spread out to make a pale blue-pink, papery star shape. In the middle of the star, there are six yellow parts called stamens. These stamens form a tube that turns orange-red as the flower gets older. A thin stalk, called a style, sticks out past the stamens. You can see these beautiful flowers from June to August.
How Was It Named?
Calectasia browneana is one of eleven different species in the Calectasia group. It was officially named a new species in 2001. Two scientists, K.W. Dixon and R.L. Barrett, described it after finding a sample near the Coorow-Greenhead Road.
The second part of its scientific name, browneana, honors the Browne family. They own land where this plant grows and have worked hard to protect the special kwongan vegetation there. Kwongan is a type of shrubland found in Western Australia, known for its amazing variety of plants.
Where Does the Blue Tinsel Lily Grow?
This rare blue tinsel lily is found in only two separate areas in the south-west of Western Australia. One area is around Coorow and Eneabba. The other area is closer to Kalbarri.
It likes to grow in white-grey sand that sits on top of a hard, reddish rock layer called laterite. It thrives in the kwongan vegetation, which is a type of shrubland with many different plants.
Protecting the Blue Tinsel Lily
The Western Australian government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has given Calectasia browneana a "Priority Two" conservation status. This means that the plant is not very well known, and it is found in only one or a few places. Because it's rare and its habitat is limited, it needs special attention to make sure it continues to survive and thrive.
