Verticordia auriculata facts for kids

Verticordia auriculata is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. You can only find this plant growing naturally in the south-west part of Western Australia. It's a small, bushy plant with many branches. It has tiny leaves and pretty pink to magenta-colored flowers that bloom in late spring and early summer. You can find it in many places across the Wheatbelt area.

What Does This Plant Look Like?

Verticordia auriculata is a very branched shrub. It grows from a single stem at its base. This plant usually reaches a height of about 20 to 60 centimeters (8 to 24 inches). It can spread out to a width of 20 to 90 centimeters (8 to 35 inches).

Its leaves are shaped like wide ovals. They are about 1.5 to 2 millimeters (0.06 to 0.08 inches) long. The leaves are slightly cupped, like a dish. They also have short hairs along their edges.

The Flowers

The flowers of Verticordia auriculata smell nice. They grow in groups that look like spikes near the ends of the branches. Each flower sits on a small stalk, about 1.5 to 2.0 millimeters (0.06 to 0.08 inches) long.

The floral cup is shaped like a top. It is about 2.0 to 2.5 millimeters (0.08 to 0.10 inches) long. This cup has 5 ribs and a surface that looks pitted. The sepals are pale pink to magenta. Sepals are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. These sepals are about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) long. They have 4 or 5 feathery parts and shiny, silver-colored bits.

The petals are egg-shaped and also pink to magenta. Petals are the colorful parts of the flower. They are about 5 millimeters (0.20 inches) long. They feel a bit rough and have a fringe that looks like threads. The style is about 5 millimeters (0.20 inches) long. The style is part of the flower's reproductive system. It is shaped like an "S" and has hairs about 0.5 millimeters (0.02 inches) long. This plant flowers from October to January.

Its Name and Family Tree

The plant Verticordia auriculata was first officially described in 1991. This was done by a scientist named Alex George. He wrote about it in a journal called Nuytsia. He used plant samples collected near Perenjori to describe it.

The second part of its name, auriculata, comes from a Latin word. It means "having ear-like parts." This refers to the small ear-shaped bits on the sepals of the flower.

Alex George placed this plant in a group called subgenus Eperephes. It is also part of a smaller group called section Verticordella. This group includes other similar plants like V. pennigera and V. halophila.

Where Does This Plant Grow?

This type of verticordia plant likes to grow in sandy soil. Often, it grows over other types of ground. You can often find it growing near other verticordia plants. It lives in areas with heath or shrubland. Heath and shrubland are types of natural areas with many small shrubs.

You can find Verticordia auriculata in many places. These areas include Mullewa, Yalgoo, Moonijin, and Mukinbudin. These places are in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, and Yalgoo regions of Western Australia.

Is It Safe?

The Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at Verticordia auriculata. They have said that it is "not threatened." This means there are enough of these plants, and they are not in danger of disappearing.

Growing It at Home

People sometimes try to grow Verticordia auriculata in gardens. When grown, it usually forms a neat, compact shrub. Its scented flowers make it a nice plant for a garden. However, it has been hard for people to get it to grow well.

It seems to prefer sandy soil with some gravel mixed in. But it does not like fertilizers that contain phosphorus. More tests are needed to find out exactly what it needs to grow well in gardens. People have tried growing it from seeds and from cuttings. But young plants can sometimes have problems with fungal diseases.