''Anigozanthos manglesii'', commonly known as the red-and-green kangaroo paw, Mangles' kangaroo paw, kurulbrang (

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...

), is a plant

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, and the

floral emblem In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used t ...

of that state. The flower has become symbolic of the region. The display between August and November is remarkable for the high standing flowers occurring in urban and coastal regions. The species is not threatened, but is protected under state legislation. A license is required for collection from the wild. It is desirable as a cut flower, possessing an unusual form and striking colours that last well.

Description

A member of the ''

Anigozanthos ''Anigozanthos'' is a genus of plant found naturally in the Southwestern Australia biogeographic region, belonging to the bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. The 11 species and their subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw or catspaw, depe ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

, ''Anigozanthos manglesii'' is a rhizotomous

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

with long, grey-green linear leaves around 30 to 60 cm long. The leaves extended from a central point at ground level. Its red and green flowers appear at the end of long stalks between August and November. The flowers display in a sequence from the lowest point, those following are in a progression of development. The spent flower-stalks may remain well after their season. The length of these stalks from the base is up to 1200 mm tall.

Distribution

The species is widely distributed throughout the

Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Au ...

n biogeographic regions, preferring white, yellow or grey sand, or sandy loam. The occurrence is confirmed in the northernmost part of its range in the

Geraldton Sandplains Geraldton Sandplains is an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion of Western Australia. It has an area of . The Geraldton Sandplains is part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion, as asses ...

and the

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

near

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. Extensive records also exist of occurrence in

Jarrah Forest Jarrah Forest, also known as the Southwest Australia woodlands, is an interim Australian bioregion and ecoregion located in the south west of Western Australia.

and Warren region to the south, but not reaching the southern coasts. It extends inland to the

Avon Wheatbelt The Avon Wheatbelt is a bioregion in Western Australia. It has an area of . It is considered part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion. Geography The Avon Wheatbelt bioregion is mostly a gently undulating landscape with low rel ...

Taxonomy

The species was first described by a Scottish botanist

David Don David Don (21 December 1799 – 15 December 1841) was a Scottish botanist. Biography David Don was born on 21 December 1799 at Doo Hillock, Forfar, Angus, Scotland to Caroline Clementina Stuart, and her husband George Don of Forfar. His olde ...

in 1834 from the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

specimen: There are two recognised subspecies as follows: *''Anigozanthos manglesii'' subsp. ''quadrans''

Hopper Hopper or hoppers may refer to: Places * Hopper, Illinois * Hopper, West Virginia * Hopper, a mountain and valley in the Hunza–Nagar District of Pakistan * Hopper (crater), a crater on Mercury People * Hopper (surname) Insects * Hopper, the ...

:Distribution of the subspecies is as far north as

Shark Bay Shark Bay () is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The area is located approximately north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent. UNESCO's listing of Shark Bay as a World Heritage S ...

, variation in habit and structure of the subspecies is otherwise discrete. *''Anigozanthos manglesii'' D.Don subsp. ''manglesii'' :Wide occurrence as far north as Gingin and to

Cape Leeuwin Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly (but not most southerly) mainland point of the Australian continent, in the state of Western Australia. Description A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further in Flinders ...

in the south. ''Anigozanthos manglesii'' is known to hybridize naturally with other ''Anigozanthos'' species: * '' A. viridis'' – progeny have been named ''Anigozanthos manglesii'' var. × ''angustifolius'' Lindl. and ''Anigozanthos manglesii'' var. × ''virescens'' Ostenf. *'' A. bicolor'' *'' A. kalbarriensis'' *'' A. humilis''

Cultivars

''Anigozanthos manglesii'' is often artificially hybridized with '' A. flavidus'' and to a lesser extent '' A. rufus''. Cultivars include: *Autumn Mystery - ''A. manglesii'' x ''A. flavidus'' *Big Red - ''A. manglesii'' x ''A. flavidus'' *Bush Emerald - ''A. manglesii'' x ''A. flavidus'' *Hickman's Delight - ''A. manglesii x A. flavidus'' *Rogue Radiance - (''A. manglesii'' x ''A. rufus'') x ''A. flavidus'' *Space Age - ''A manglesii'' x ''A. flavidus'' *Sue Dixon - (''A. manglesii'' x ''A. rufus'') x ''A. flavidus''

Cultivation

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

regions this plant is either grown under glass or outdoors with the winter protection of a

mulch A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving soil fertility, fertility and health of the soil, reducing Weed control, weed growth, and enhancing the v ...

. The species germinates readily from seed. As plants generally deteriorate after the second season, they are best treated as

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and t ...

. Watering should be withheld during the dormant period. They are susceptible to fungal ink spot disease and the leaves are attractive to snails. They are often used as

cut flowers Cut flowers are flowers and flower buds (often with some Plant stem, stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is removed from the plant for decorative use. Cut greens are leaves with or without stems added to the cut flow ...

, due to their unique appearance and lasting qualities. This plant 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 ...

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

Symbolic and artistic references

In November 1960, ''Anigozanthos manglesii'' was adopted as the floral

emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...

of Western Australia in a proclamation made by then Premier of Western Australia

David Brand Sir David Brand Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving premier of Western Australia, in office from 1959 to 1971, and was state leader of the Liberal Pa ...

. It also appears on the armorial bearings of that state, framing the crown in the

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

. This is given to denote the sovereignty and independence of Western Australia. The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

reads:

And for Crest: On a Wreath Or and Sable The Royal Crown between two Kangaroo Paw (Anigosanthos icManglesii) flowers slipped proper.

A red and green kangaroo paw superimposed over a scene of

was depicted on a 5 pence on a 1962 Australian stamp issue designed by R. M. Warner to mark the

British Empire and Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

held in Perth that year. In 1968 another stamp issue, designed by Nell Wilson, showed the red and green kangaroo paw as part of a series on state floral emblems.Stamp image
/ref>

Notes

References

* * * * *''Extract from Government Gazette (No.95) of 18 November 1960''. PROCLAMATION:

By His Excellency The Honourable Sir John Patric Dwyer, ... Lieutenant-Governor (
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
) in and over the State of Western Australia and its Dependencies in the Commonwealth of Australia. ...desirable that a floral emblem be adopted as an emblem of the State ... described as ''Anigosanthos Manglesii'' D. Don: NOW THEREFORE I, the Lieutenant-Governor, ... Given under my hand and the Public Seal of the said State at Perth, this 9th day of November, 1960. By His Excellency's Command, David Brand, Premier. God save the Queen !!! (abbreviated and uncorrected text fro
ANGB

External links

* Australian Cultivar Registration Authorit

- List for genus ''

'', updates the

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

epithets. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2849952 Commelinales of Australia Angiosperms of Western Australia manglesii Symbols of Western Australia Garden plants Endemic flora of Southwest Australia