Hughan's featherflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hughan's featherflower |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Verticordia
|
| Species: |
hughanii
|
Verticordia hughanii, also known as Hughan's featherflower, is a special flowering plant. It belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. This plant is only found in the south-west part of Western Australia, which means it is endemic there. It's a small shrub with leaves that spread out and bright red flowers that grow in spike-like groups. Hughan's featherflower is quite rare, with only a few small groups of plants known to exist. Because it's so rare, it's listed as "Endangered" by conservation groups.
Contents
What Hughan's Featherflower Looks Like
Hughan's featherflower is a shrub that usually grows to be about 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) tall. It can spread out to be 30 to 75 centimeters (12 to 30 inches) wide. Its branches can be open or grow very close together.
The leaves of this plant are shaped like an oval or a narrow egg, and they are about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) long. They have a rounded tip. When the weather is very cold or very hot, the leaves can change color to a purplish shade.
The Bright Red Flowers
The flowers of Hughan's featherflower don't have a smell. They grow in groups that look like spikes at the ends of the branches. Each flower sits on a small stalk about 2 to 2.5 millimeters (0.08 to 0.10 inches) long.
The bottom part of the flower, called the floral cup, is about 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) long. It's smooth and has small, thick green parts that are about 0.5 millimeters (0.02 inches) long. The sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the bud, are bright red and spread out. They are about 3.5 to 4 millimeters (0.14 to 0.16 inches) long and have 5 or 6 long, hairy parts.
The petals are also bright red and stand upright. They are about 2.5 to 3 millimeters (0.10 to 0.12 inches) long and are egg-shaped with a few tiny teeth at their tips. The style, which is part of the flower's reproductive system, is straight or slightly curved and about 12 to 14 millimeters (0.47 to 0.55 inches) long. It has a few short hairs near its end. This plant usually blooms from November to February.
How Hughan's Featherflower Got Its Name
The plant Verticordia hughanii was first officially described in 1878 by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He wrote about it in a book called Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. The plant was found by Allan Hughan, who was a farmer and plant collector.
The second part of the plant's name, hughanii, was chosen to honor Allan Hughan. He collected the very first sample of this species, which scientists use as a reference. He also found four other types of verticordia plants.
Where Hughan's Featherflower Lives
This special verticordia plant grows in sandy soil that sometimes contains gypsum. It can be found in salty flat areas and in sandy loam soils within areas of heath and shrubland.
Hughan's featherflower is very rare. As of October 2015, only three groups of these plants were known to exist. There were only about 20 mature plants in total! These small groups are found between the towns of Dowerin and Goomalling in a region called the Avon Wheatbelt.
Protecting Hughan's Featherflower
Hughan's featherflower is considered "Threatened" by the Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife. This means it's at risk of disappearing forever or is very rare and needs special care.
It's also listed as "Endangered" (EN) under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This means it meets the requirements to be called "Endangered" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN 2000) Red List. Because of this, a special plan has been made to help it recover.
What Threatens This Plant?
Several things make it hard for Hughan's featherflower to survive:
- Not enough new plants: Most of the existing plants are old, and new ones don't grow very often.
- Rabbits: Rabbits eat the plants, which harms them.
- Weeds: Weeds, especially wild oats, grow around the featherflower and compete for resources.
- Salty water: The groundwater is becoming saltier, which is bad for the plants.
- Fires: Fires that happen at the wrong time can also damage the populations.
The people who own the land where the largest group of these plants grows are very keen to protect them. However, if the land changes owners in the future, it could become another threat to the plant's survival.
Growing Hughan's Featherflower in Gardens
When Hughan's featherflower is grown in gardens, it's described as "amazingly beautiful" when it blooms. It flowers from November to March or April.
It's fairly easy to grow new plants from cuttings (small pieces of the plant). It grows well in soil that drains water easily, both in areas that get rain in winter and those that get rain in summer. However, it has been difficult to grow enough plants in pots to sell them widely for general gardening.
