''Calothamnus borealis'' is a plant in the myrtle family,

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, erect shrub with crowded, cylindrical leaves and red flowers. It grows in sand surrounded by spinifex or heath. In 2014

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

, Edwards and Cowley proposed that the species be renamed ''Melaleuca aquilonia''.

Description

''Calothamnus borealis'' is a low, spreading shrub with many stems, growing to a height of about and with new growth covered with soft hairs. Its leaves are crowded, mostly long and wide, cylindrical in shape, tapering to a non-prickly point. They are covered with short hairs giving a greyish tinge. The flowers are red and are arranged in small clusters containing 1 to 12 individual flowers, mostly hidden among the leaves. The petals are about long, pinkish to brownish in colour with a papery texture. The

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are arranged in 5 claw-like bundles with 20 to 25 stamens per bundle. Flowering occurs from July to September and is followed by fruits which are woody, almost cylindrical capsules, long and in diameter.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calothamnus borealis'' was first formally described in 1984 by Trevor Hawkeswood from a specimen found near Exmouth. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''borealis'') is derived from the Latin, meaning "north" or "northern" and refers to the fact that this species has the most northerly distribution of any of the ''

Calothamnus ''Calothamnus'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The common names one-sided bottlebrush or claw flower are given to some species due to their having the flowers clustered on ...

'' species.

Distribution and habitat

''Calothamnus borealis'' occurs from the Exmouth area south to Coral Bay, with a disjunct population in the

Kennedy Range Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...

. Its range is within the Carnarvon biogeographic region. It grows in sand dunes in heath or spinifex grassland.

Conservation

This species is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian government department of parks and wildlife.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15396729 borealis Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1984 Endemic flora of Western Australia