Slender smokebush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender smokebush |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Conospermum
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| Species: |
huegelii
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Conospermum huegelii, commonly known as the slender smokebush, is a plant endemic to Western Australia.
The plant has an clumped habit, is non-lignotuberous and typically grows to a height of 0.2 to 1 metre (0.7 to 3.3 ft). It blooms between July and October producing blue-cream flowers. The perennial herb has short leafy stems. Smooth floral scapes that are up to 60 cm (24 in) in height with the flowers crowded towards the tips. The blue flowers are tubular in shape with a length of 0.75 cm (0.30 in). The soft incurved needle-like leaves have a length of 5 to 20 cm (2.0 to 7.9 in).
The species was first formally described by the botanist Stephan Endlicher in 1838 as part of the work Stirpium Australasicarum Herbarii Hugeliani Decades Tres. The only synonym is Conospermum intricatum. The specific epithet honours the botanist Karl von Hugel.
It is found in swampy areas and among granite outcrops in the Swan Coastal Plain and in the Darling Range of Western Australia where it grows in sandy-gravelly soils.
The attractive ornamental plant is suitable for gardens or containers. The flowers are used for decoration and long lasting. It is reasonably difficult to establish, propagation is by cuttings can be sown by seed.
