''Calothamnus torulosus'' 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. It is sometimes an erect, sometimes prostrate shrub which has pine-like leaves and usually red, 4-part flowers. It is similar to ''

Calothamnus sanguineus ''Calothamnus sanguineus'', commonly known as silky-leaved blood flower, 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 othe ...

'' except that it has larger fruiting capsules.

Description

''Calothamnus torulosus'' grows to about tall and has leaves that are about long. The leaves are circular in cross section and sometimes have a few scattered hairs. The flowers are red or sometimes a shade of green to scarlet. They have 4

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s and 4 claw-like bundles of stamens with the upper 2 claws broad and flat, sometimes joined for part of their length. Unlike some others in the genus, the flowers and fruit are never buried in corky bark. Flowering occurs from September to October and is followed by fruits which are woody, almost spherical capsules. The fruiting capsules have four prominently thickened lobes and are about long and wide.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calothamnus torulosus'' was first formally described by

Johannes Schauer Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' ...

in 1843 in 'Dissertatio phytographica de Regelia, Beaufortia et Calothamno'' from a specimen collected "at the top of the hill at the foot of the mountains of the

Darling Range The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

, not far from the town Maddington", now a suburb of

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

. 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 ...

is derived from the Latin word ''torosus'', meaning "bulging, muscular, fleshy or lusty".

Distribution and habitat

''Calothamnus torulosus'' occurs from Perth to Eneabba in the

Geraldton Sandplains Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

Jarrah Forest Jarrah forest is tall open forest in which the dominant overstory tree is '' Eucalyptus marginata'' (jarrah). The ecosystem occurs only in the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is ...

and

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 geo ...

biogeographic regions, where it grows on sand and rocky soils derived from

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

Conservation

''Calothamnus torulosus'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian

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 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15395122 torulosus Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1843 Endemic flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Johannes Conrad Schauer