''Anigozanthos humilis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of '' Anigozanthos'' in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Haemodoraceae. This flowering

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Southwest Australia and widespread in its open forests. Common names include catspaw and common catspaw.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...

in the 1840 work '' A sketch of the vegetation of the Swan River Colony''. Three subspecies have also been described and recognised. The genus name '' Anigozanthos'' possibly combines

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

words "anisos", meaning unequal, and "anthos", meaning

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

(in reference to the shape of the flowers). The specific epithet, ''humilis'', means "low-growing". The common name catspaw was initially applied this species, then for several other species of ''Anigozanthos'', this is assumed to have been coined to contrast these with larger flowers and scapes of 'kangaroo paws'. The widely occurring ''A. humilis'' subsp. ''humilis'' is referred to as the common catspaw.

Description

The species has a basal rosette of long strap-like leaves, emerging at the soil's surface from a rhizome beneath. A

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...

of flowers appear at the terminus of long stalks, giving the plant a height up to one metre. The tuberous form of the flower bud is yellow, becoming orange then red at the opening. It is typically 0.4-1 meter tall and 0.3-0.6 meters across.

Conservation Status

While the subspecies ''Anigozanthos humilis'' subsp. ''humilis'' is common, and unthreatened, the rarer subspecies described by Stephen Hopper are listed with a conservation status. ''Anigozanthos humilis'' subsp. ''Badgingarra'' is listed by the Dept of Environment and Conservation as poorly known. and the subspecies ''Anigozanthos humilis'' subsp. ''chrysanthus'', the golden catspaw, has been listed as rare by the same body.

Cultivation

The plant is widely cultivated, and is able to tolerate hot and humid climates, but requires winter protection in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions. It has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. It does best in sunny locations with well-drained soil.

References

Commelinales of Australia Angiosperms of Western Australia humilis Taxa named by John Lindley {{WesternAustralia-plant-stub