''Conostephium magnum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae 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 elsew ...

to the

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of Western Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with scattered lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end toward the base, and pendulous, spindle-shaped, cream-coloured to white and pink flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.

Description

''Conostephium magnum'' is an erect, compact shrub that typically grows to a height of , and has many stems at the base. The leaves are lance-shaped with the narrower end toward the base, long and wide on a petiole long. The leaves are glabrous and the edges are often rolled inwards. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils on a pendulous

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long with 4 to 6

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s and 3 to 5 bracteoles long and about wide, grading into the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s. The sepals are narrowly egg-shaped, long and overlap each other, the petal tube usually white to cream-coloured and pink, long. Flowering occurs from July to September, the fruit more or less spherical and about long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Conostephium magnum'' was first formally described in 2002 by

Raymond Jeffrey Cranfield Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'' from specimens collected near the Tiwest Cooljarloo mine site in 1993. 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 ...

(''magnum'') means "large", referring to the height of the species.

Distribution and habitat

''Conostephium magnum'' grows on sand dunes, disturbed roadsides and in swamp and open woodland, mainly from Cataby to near Gingin in the Geraldton Sandplains 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 geol ...

bioregions of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status

This conostephium is listed as " Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

, meaning that it is rare or near threatened.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15373963 magnum Epacridoideae Eudicots of Western Australia Ericales of Australia Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 2002