Calectasia keigheryi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Calectasia keigheryi |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Calectasia
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| Species: |
keigheryi
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The blue tinsel lily (scientific name: Calectasia keigheryi) is a beautiful plant. It belongs to the Dasypogonaceae family. This plant grows upright and is a perennial herb, meaning it lives for more than two years. It spreads using underground stems called rhizomes. This lily is quite rare. You can only find it in a few places in the south-west of Western Australia.
Scientists only recognized Calectasia keigheryi as its own species in 2001. Before that, it was thought to be the same as other Calectasia plants. You can tell it apart by its smaller flowers, the unique shape of its anthers (part of the flower), and tiny hairs on the lower part of its petals.
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About the Blue Tinsel Lily
Calectasia keigheryi is a small plant that doesn't have stilt roots. It grows from a short underground stem called a rhizome. This rhizome helps new plants grow nearby, creating clones. The plant can reach about 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) tall. It has a few short branches on its sides.
Leaves and Flowers
Each leaf on the blue tinsel lily is smooth, without hairs. They are about 6.8 to 12.3 millimeters long and 0.5 to 0.8 millimeters wide. The leaves become very pointy at the end.
The flower petals, which are technically called tepals, form a tube at their base. This tube is about 9.3 to 9.8 millimeters long. What's special about this plant is that the bottom third of this tube is gold-colored. It's also covered with soft, white-golden hairs. This is different from other Calectasia species in Western Australia.
The upper parts of the petals spread out. They form a blue, papery shape that looks like a star. As the flower gets older, this blue color might fade to white or sometimes even turn red.
In the middle of the star-shaped flower, there are six yellow stamens. These stamens form a tube that stays yellow as the flower ages. The very end of the stamen is called an anther. For this plant, the anther has a small "skirt," which is unusual for this group of plants. A thin part called the style sticks out beyond the stamens. You can see these beautiful flowers from July to September.
Naming the Blue Tinsel Lily
Calectasia keigheryi is one of eleven different species in the Calectasia group of plants. Scientists R.L.Barrett and K.W.Dixon officially described it as a new species in 2001. They found the first example of this plant on the eastern edge of Fitzgerald River National Park.
The second part of its scientific name, keigheryi, is a special way to honor someone. It was named after a botanist named Greg Keighery. He has done a lot of important work studying the plants of Western Australia, including the Calectasia group.
Where It Lives
The blue tinsel lily is not very common. It has only been found in three places. All these locations are within the Fitzgerald River National Park in the Esperance Plains area of south-west Western Australia.
This plant likes to grow in certain types of soil. You can find it in grey sand or in shallow, sandy soil that sits over a type of rock called laterite. It usually grows in low heath, which is a kind of shrubland with small, tough plants.
Protecting the Blue Tinsel Lily
The Western Australian government's Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of plants like the blue tinsel lily. They have classified Calectasia keigheryi as "Priority Two."
This "Priority Two" status means that not much is known about the plant. It has only been found in one or a few specific locations. This classification helps make sure that these rare plants get the attention and protection they need to survive.
