Verticordia muelleriana facts for kids

Verticordia muelleriana is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. You can only find it in the south-west part of Western Australia. This plant is a shrub with branches that spread out. It has pretty, egg-shaped or round leaves. In spring and early summer, it grows long spikes of deep maroon (dark reddish-purple) flowers.

What it Looks Like

Verticordia muelleriana is a shrub that can grow up to 2 m (7 ft) tall. It usually has one main branch and a few smaller side branches. Its leaves are shaped like an egg or are almost perfectly round. They are about 3–7 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long and have thin edges.

The Flowers

The flowers grow in spikes along the branches. They open one after another, starting from the bottom flowers first. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk, about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.

The part that holds the flower, called the floral cup, looks like a spinning top. It is about 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long, smooth, and a little rough. It has small green parts, like tiny arms, about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.

The sepals are a deep maroon color and spread outwards. They are about 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and have feathery edges. They also have two large, fuzzy, ear-shaped parts. The petals are a similar maroon color and stand upright. They are about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and 3.5 mm (0.1 in) wide. They have a fringe that adds another 2 mm (0.08 in) to their length. Like the sepals, they also have small, fuzzy, ear-shaped parts.

The style, which is part of the flower's reproductive system, is about 7 mm (0.3 in) long and curved. It is very hairy near its tip. This plant blooms from September to January.

Naming and History

The plant Verticordia muelleriana was first officially described in 1904. A scientist named Ernst Pritzel found a sample of it between Watheroo and Coorow. He published his description in a scientific book called Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie.

The second part of the plant's name, muelleriana, was chosen to honor another famous botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller.

Different Types of Verticordia muelleriana

There are two main types, or subspecies, of Verticordia muelleriana:

• Verticordia muelleriana subsp. minor has sepals that are 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long. Its petals are 4 mm (0.16 in) long, including a small fringe of 0.5 mm (0.02 in).
• Verticordia muelleriana subsp. muelleriana has sepals and petals that are both 5 mm (0.20 in) long. Its fringe is a bit longer, about 1.5 mm (0.06 in).

In 1991, a scientist named Alex George studied the whole Verticordia group of plants. He placed Verticordia muelleriana into a smaller group called Pennuligera.

Where it Grows

This verticordia plant likes to grow in sandy soil. Sometimes, the soil also has lateritic gravel. You can often find it growing with other Verticordia species in woodlands and shrublands. It lives in the areas between Coomberdale and Watheroo in Western Australia. These areas are known as the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, and Jarrah Forest biogeographic regions.

Protecting the Plant

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of rare and special plants.

The subspecies muelleriana is listed as "Priority Three". This means we don't know a lot about it, and it's only found in a few places. However, it's not in immediate danger of disappearing.

The subspecies minor is listed as "Priority Two". This means it's also not well-known and is found in only one or a very few spots.

Growing Verticordia muelleriana

People have tried to grow both types of this verticordia in gardens. They have done this by taking cuttings (small pieces of the plant) or by grafting them. Grafting means joining a piece of Verticordia muelleriana onto the roots of another plant, like Chamelaucium uncinatum.

It can be slow for these plants to get established in a garden. But once they do, they are quite strong. They grow well in sunny spots and can handle different kinds of soil.