Pea-shaped featherflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pea-shaped featherflower |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Verticordia
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| Species: |
carinata
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The Verticordia carinata, also known as the pea-shaped featherflower or Stirling Range featherflower, is a special flowering plant. It belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. This plant is found only in Western Australia, meaning it is endemic there. It grows as a tall, thin shrub with small leaves spread out along its branches. Its flowers are a pretty mix of pink and red. This plant is quite rare; it was first described in 1849 but then wasn't seen again until 1990!
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What it Looks Like
The Verticordia carinata is a thin, tall shrub. It can grow to be about 0.4 to 1.0 meter (1.3 to 3.3 feet) high. It has one main stem that branches out near the bottom. Its leaves are spaced out along the branches. They are shaped like an oval or oblong, and they are slightly cupped. Each leaf is about 3 to 4.5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.18 inches) long. The edges of the leaves have tiny, soft hairs.
The flowers of this plant have a lovely scent. They grow in a double-sided spike, with one flower at the base of each leaf. Each flower sits on a stalk that is about 5 to 7.5 millimeters (0.20 to 0.30 inches) long. The flowers open slowly, starting from the bottom of the spike. They look a bit like pea flowers. The floral cup (the base of the flower) is shaped like a top and is about 2.0 millimeters (0.079 inches) long. It is also smooth.
The sepals (the outer parts of the flower) are magenta to pink. They get lighter in color as they get older. They are about 3.5 to 4.0 millimeters (0.14 to 0.16 inches) long and have 5 or 6 feathery parts. The petals are the same color as the sepals. They are egg-shaped and also about 3.5 to 4.0 millimeters (0.14 to 0.16 inches) long. The style (a part of the flower's reproductive system) is about 6.5 to 7 millimeters (0.26 to 0.28 inches) long. It sticks out past the petals and is curved with hairs near its tip. This plant mainly flowers from late November to May. However, you can often find flowers on it at other times of the year too.
How it Got its Name
The Verticordia carinata was first officially described by a scientist named Nikolai Turczaninow in 1849. He wrote about it in a publication called Bulletin de la Société impériale des naturalistes de Moscou. The plants he studied were collected by James Drummond.
The plant's specific name, carinata, comes from a Latin word meaning "keeled." This name might refer to the two lower petals of the flower. Before the flower opens, these petals look like the "keel" of a pea flower. A keel is like the bottom part of a boat.
Later, in 1991, another scientist named Alex George studied the whole group of Verticordia plants. He placed Verticordia carinata into a smaller group called section Verticordella.
Where it Lives
This special verticordia plant grows in sandy soil that is on top of sandstone rock. It likes to live in areas with tall shrubs and woodlands in the Stirling Range of Western Australia.
When James Drummond collected the first plant, it's not known exactly where he found it. After that, no one saw this plant again until 1990! A park ranger rediscovered it in the Stirling Range National Park. Today, we only know of three groups of these plants. Two groups are inside the national park, and one is near a place called Trigwell. These areas are in the Esperance Plains and Jarrah Forest biogeographic regions.
Protecting the Plant
The Verticordia carinata is considered a "Threatened Flora" by the Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife. This means it's a very rare plant that needs protection. It is also listed as "Vulnerable" (VU) under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Scientists believe there are only about 260 of these plants left in total. The biggest danger to them is kangaroos eating them.
Growing it in Gardens
People have tried to grow Verticordia carinata in gardens, and it shows promise! It has been grown successfully in Kings Park in Perth and at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. In these places, it has shown that it can handle both frost and dry conditions.
Usually, new plants are grown from cuttings, which means taking a piece of the plant and helping it grow roots. Scientists have also had success with "tissue culture," which is a way of growing plants from very small pieces in a lab. It has also been found that using "smoke water" can help the seeds of V. carinata sprout better.
