Darwinia hortiorum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Darwinia hortiorum | |
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| Darwinia hortiorum | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Darwinia |
| Species: | D. hortiorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Darwinia hortiorum | |
Darwinia hortiorum is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a compact, densely branched shrub with small leaves and inflorescences composed of up to twenty flowers with glossy, pale yellow to reddish petals and fleshy dark green sepals surrounded by papery brown bracteoles.
Darwinia hortiorum is an erect to spreading, densely branched shrub with a compact habit. It typically grows to a height of 0.8 metres (2.6 ft) and a width of 0.8 m (2.6 ft). The glabrous plant is single-stemmed at the base with spreading main branches bearing many ascending, leafy branchlets with pale stems. Older stems have a covering of reddish-brown, papery bark that peels off in flakes. The leaves are arranged alternately, widely spaced, narrow egg-shaped to almost linear, 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide. The inflorescences appear at the ends of the branches and are composed of groups of 14 to 22 flowers. Each flower has five smooth, glossy, yellowish petals tinged with crimson, five warty dark green sepals with prominent oil glands and two papery brown bracteoles. Ten stamens protrude between the petals and the style is curved towards the centre of the inflorescence. Flowering occurs between late September and early December. The plant is distinctive with no obvious close relatives, although it superficially resembles Darwinia thymoides which is found in the same habitat.[2][3]