Calectasia obtusa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Calectasia obtusa |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Calectasia
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| Species: |
obtusa
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The Calectasia obtusa, also known as the blue tinsel lily or blunt-leaved tinsel lily, is a beautiful plant. It belongs to the Dasypogonaceae family. This plant grows as a small, upright shrub, reaching about 50 centimeters (20 inches) tall.
You can only find the blue tinsel lily in the southwest part of Western Australia. It grows in many places there, but it's only known from nine specific groups of plants.
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What Does the Blue Tinsel Lily Look Like?
The blue tinsel lily is a small shrub with special roots that look like stilts. These roots are about 3 to 5.5 centimeters (1 to 2 inches) long. The plant can grow up to 50 centimeters tall and has several short side branches.
Its leaves are smooth and usually press close to the stem. They are about 4.5 to 8.5 millimeters long and 0.5 to 0.9 millimeters wide. The ends of the leaves are usually blunt, meaning they are not sharp.
The flowers are very unique. The bottom part of the petals forms a tube about 7.7 to 8.8 millimeters long. The outer parts of the petals are a pretty wine red color with blue edges. As the flower gets older, these colors fade to a pale blue. They spread outwards, looking like a papery, star-shaped pattern.
In the middle of this star, you'll see six bright yellow parts called stamens. These stamens form a tube and keep their yellow color as the flower ages. A thin part called the style sticks out beyond the stamens. The blue tinsel lily usually blooms from July to August.
How Was It Named?
The Calectasia obtusa is one of eleven different types of plants in the Calectasia group. Scientists R.L. Barrett and K.W. Dixon officially described it as a new species in 2001. They found a sample of the plant near Cape Riche, Western Australia.
The second part of its name, obtusa, comes from a Latin word. Obtusus means "blunt." This refers to the blunt, or not sharp, tips of the plant's leaves.
Where Does It Grow?
This tinsel lily species is found in different spots across the South West Botanical Province. You can find it in scattered groups, sometimes with only a few plants. It grows between the towns of Kojonup and Hopetoun.
It likes to grow in grey clay soil called loam. You can often find it in open woodland areas. It also grows in low heath areas near the coast, especially where there is a type of soil called laterite.
Is It Protected?
The Calectasia obtusa is listed as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian government's department of parks and wildlife. This means that scientists don't know a lot about it yet. It's only found in a few locations. However, it's not currently in immediate danger of disappearing.
