''Seringia'' × ''katatona'', commonly known as red dune fire-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

and is

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 ...

to northern Western Australia. It is an erect, compact, suckering shrub, with hairy young branches, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves and purple flowers arranged in groups of 9 to 17.

Description

''Seringia'' × ''katatona'' is an erect, compact shrub with many stems, and that typically grows up to high, wide, and sometimes forms suckers. The leaves are arranged alternately, at first trilobed or egg-shaped, about long and wide, later oblong, long and wide on a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

long with narrowly egg-shaped

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s long at the base. The flowers are arranged in a cyme long with 9 to 17 flowers on a peduncle long, each flower on a

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. The flowers are purple with petal-like, broadly egg-shaped

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and joined at the base to form a tube with lobes half the length of the tube. Petals are absent, the staminodes tiny, and the filaments and anthers are yellow. Flowering occurs from March to August.

Taxonomy

In 1999, Carolyn F. Wilkins described ''Keraudrenia katatona'' 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 Broome airport in 1995. In 2016, Wilkins and

Barbara Ann Whitlock Barbara Ann Whitlock (born 1967) is an American botanist. She earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University, with her dissertation ''Systematics and evolution of chocolate and its relatives (Sterculiaceae or Malvaceae s.l.)'' , an interest which contin ...

changed the name to ''Seringia'' × ''katatona'' in ''

Australian Systematic Botany ''Australian Systematic Botany'' is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal published by CSIRO Publishing. It is devoted to publishing original research, and sometimes review articles, on topics related to systematic botany, such as b ...

''. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''katatona'') means "broader than high", referring to the sepals.

Distribution and habitat

Red dune fire-bush grows in red sand on desert dunes and is restricted to near Broome and near

Port Hedland A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...

in the Dampierland and

Great Sandy Desert The Great Sandy Desert is an interim Australian bioregion,IBRA Version 6.1
data

bioregions of northern Western Australia.

Conservation status

''Seringia'' × ''katatona'' is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Government of Western Australia, Western Australian government department responsible for managing lands and waters described in the ''Conservation and Land Management A ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q51046936 exastia Rosids of Western Australia Malvales of Australia Taxa named by Carolyn F. Wilkins Plants described in 1999 Plant nothospecies