Verticordia lepidophylla facts for kids

Verticordia lepidophylla is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. You can only find it growing naturally in the south-west part of Western Australia. This plant is usually a bushy shrub with small leaves. It produces spikes of creamish-green to yellow flowers. These flowers appear along its branches from late spring to early summer.

What Does Verticordia lepidophylla Look Like?

Verticordia lepidophylla is a shrub that can grow up to 2 m (7 ft) tall. It usually has one main stem that branches out a lot. Its leaves are shaped like an egg and are slightly cupped. They are about 1.5–3 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long and have a rounded end. The edges of the leaves have a few small, uneven teeth.

The flowers of this plant have a nice smell. They grow in spike-like groups along the stems on straight stalks that are 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. The floral cup (the part that holds the flower) is shaped like a top and is about 3 mm (0.1 in) long. It has 5 ridges and is smooth. It also has small, rounded green parts about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.

The sepals (leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud) are deep yellow or cream-coloured. They are 4–6.5 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and have 6 to 10 feathery parts, plus ear-shaped parts. The petals (the colourful parts of the flower) are similar in colour to the sepals. Sometimes they have red spots. They are egg-shaped to almost round, about 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, and have long, pointed, finger-like parts. The style (the part of the flower that receives pollen) is 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, bent, and mostly hairy on one side. This plant flowers from September or November to January, depending on its specific type.

How Verticordia lepidophylla Got Its Name

The plant Verticordia lepidophylla was first officially described by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller in 1857. He published his description in a book called Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. The first example of this plant, called the type specimen, was collected by Augustus Frederick Oldfield near the Murchison River.

The second part of its name, lepidophylla, comes from two Ancient Greek words: lepis, which means "scale," and phyllon, which means "leaf." This name refers to its leaves, which look like scales and often lie flat against the stem.

In 1991, a scientist named Alex George studied the Verticordia group of plants. He found and described two different types (varieties) of Verticordia lepidophylla:

• Verticordia lepidophylla var. lepidophylla: This type has sepals that are 3.5–4.5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long.
• Verticordia lepidophylla var. quantula: This type has sepals that are 2.0–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long.

Alex George placed this plant in a larger group called subgenus Eperephes, and then into a smaller group called section Pennuligera. Other plants in this section include V. comosa, V. chrysostachys, V. aereiflora, V. dichroma, V. x eurardyensis, V. muelleriana, V. argentea, V. albida, V. fragrans, V. venusta, V. forrestii, V. serotina, V. oculata, V. etheliana and V. grandis.

Where Verticordia lepidophylla Grows

This verticordia plant likes to grow in sandy soil. Sometimes the soil might also have gravel or clay. You can find it in areas with heath (low-growing shrubs) and shrubland. It grows from Shark Bay down to Geraldton and as far inland as Eurardy Reserve. These areas are part of the Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo biogeographic regions in Western Australia.

Protecting Verticordia lepidophylla

The variety quantula of this plant is considered "Priority One" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. This means it is only found in a few places, and those places might be at risk. The other variety, lepidophylla, is classified as "Not Threatened," which means it is not currently in danger.

Growing Verticordia lepidophylla in Gardens

The lepidophylla variety has been called "an attractive shrub" and people have been growing it in gardens for many years. It is usually grown from cuttings (small pieces of the plant that can grow into a new plant). Even though it grows slowly at first, it can handle frost and is good at resisting attacks from insects and fungi. Some plants of the quantula variety have also been grown at Kings Park.