Calectasia palustris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Calectasia palustris |
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Calectasia
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palustris
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The blue tinsel lily, also called the swamp tinsel lily, is a special plant from Western Australia. Its scientific name is Calectasia palustris. It belongs to the Dasypogonaceae family. This plant is a perennial herb, meaning it lives for more than two years. It grows in tufts and has unique "stilt roots" that help it stand up.
This lily is quite rare. It is endemic, meaning it's found only in a few specific areas in the southwest of Western Australia. The blue tinsel lily looks similar to other plants in the Calectasia group. Scientists only recognized it as its own separate species in 2001, after a detailed study of the genus.
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What the Blue Tinsel Lily Looks Like
The Calectasia palustris is a small plant that grows up to about 70 centimeters (about 2.3 feet) tall. It has many short branches coming off its main stem. A unique feature of this plant is its "stilt roots," which are like small props that hold it up. These roots can be 40 to 110 millimeters long. Unlike some other plants, it does not have a rhizome, which is an underground stem.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of the blue tinsel lily are thin and long. Each leaf blade is about 7 to 23 millimeters long and 0.4 to 0.7 millimeters wide. They have a short, sharp point at the very end.
The flowers are very pretty and look like stars. The base of the flower parts (called tepals, which are like petals and sepals combined) forms a tube about 9.9 to 10.1 millimeters long. The outer parts spread out to create a blue, papery, star-like shape. As the flower gets older, its blue color fades and turns reddish.
In the center of the star-shaped flower, you'll see six yellow stamens. These are the parts of the flower that produce pollen. They form a tube in the middle and do not change color to orange-red as they age. A thin stalk called a style extends out beyond the stamens.
How it's Different from Similar Plants
The blue tinsel lily is similar to another common plant called C. grandiflora. However, C. palustris has stilt roots and no rhizome, which helps tell them apart. It also looks a bit like C. obtusa. The main difference is that C. palustris has sharp points on its leaf tips, just like most other plants in its group. You can usually see these beautiful flowers blooming from July to October.
How it Got its Name
Calectasia palustris is one of eleven different species in the Calectasia group of plants. It was officially named as a new species in 2001. Two scientists, K.W. Dixon and R.L. Barrett, described it after finding a sample of the plant southwest of Badgingarra.
The second part of its scientific name, palustris, comes from a Latin word, palustria. This word means "swampy." This name was chosen because, unusually for this group of plants, the blue tinsel lily prefers to grow in swampy areas.
Where the Blue Tinsel Lily Lives
This special tinsel lily is not very common. It is found in only two separate areas in the southwest of Western Australia. These two areas are about 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) apart. You can find them between the towns of Cervantes and Coorow.
These locations are part of what scientists call the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions. The blue tinsel lily likes to grow in swamps that get flooded at certain times of the year. It also grows in grey sandy soil.
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 palustris as "Priority Two."
This "Priority Two" classification means that not much is known about the plant yet. It is only found in one or a few specific places. This classification helps make sure that these rare plants are protected and studied so they can continue to thrive.
