''Calothamnus superbus'' is a plant in the myrtle

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 ...

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 spe ...

and is

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 the south-west of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

. It is an erect, often spreading, straggly shrub similar to ''

Calothamnus aridus ''Calothamnus aridus'' is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to central parts of Western Australia. It is an erect, densely branched shrub with many stems, needle-like leaves and orange-red to pinkish flowers, growing in ari ...

'' with its red flowers having 5 stamen bundles, but its leaves are longer and wider. It has a limited distribution near Pigeon Rocks south of

Lake Barlee Lake Barlee is an intermittent salt lake. With a surface area of , it is the second largest lake in Western Australia. Description Lake Barlee is situated on the Yilgarn block southeast of Youanmi and north of Bullfinch, on the border betwe ...

. (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 superba''.)

Description

''Calothamnus superbus'' is an erect spreading shrub with many branches growing to a height of about . Its leaves are mostly long, in diameter, linear, circular in cross section and taper to a sharp point. There are prominent oil glands on the leaves. The flowers are red and arranged in small clusters of about 3 or about 10 in a loose spike between the leaves on the younger branches. The petals are long, thin, papery and orange to brown. 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 filam ...

s are arranged in 5 claw-like bundles usually with 12 to 17 stamens per bundle. Flowering probably occurs in response to rainfall and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules, long and in diameter.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calothamnus superbus'' was first formally described in 1992 by Trevor Hawkeswood and Frans Mollemans in the botanical journal ''Nuytsia''. 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 ...

(''superbus'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

word meaning "excellent, superior or splendid", and refers to the distinctive colour of the foliage and it prominence in the area in which it occurs.

Distribution and habitat

''Calothamnus superbus'' occurs in the Pigeon Rocks area in the Coolgardie

biogeographic region An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas o ...

where it grows in pebbly sand on sandplains.

Conservation

''Calothamnus superbus'' is classified as "

Priority One Prioritization is an action that arranges items or activities in order of importance. Priority may refer specifically to: Law * Priority or right of way on the road, see Traffic § Priority (right of way) ** Priority signs, a traffic sign tha ...

" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and en ...

, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15395014

superbus Superbus (Latin for superb, proud, arrogant) may refer to: * Superbus (band), a French pop-rock band formed in 1999 * 18596 Superbus, a Main-belt asteroid discovered on January 21, 1998 * Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (before 535 BC – 496 BC), the ...

Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1992 Endemic flora of Western Australia