Taxandria fragrans

-
 
Fragrans from the Latin, meaning smelling. This species has fragrant oils in the leaves.

Occurs from near Margaret River to east of Denmark near Redmond and Marbellup, with scattered records outside this range. Grows in swamps on acid peaty sand and in the seasonally waterlogged margins of broad upper valleys.

A shrub to 2.4 m tall. Leaves alternate or in alternate clusters, spreading and somewhat rigid, almost stemless, linear to very narrowly elliptic, 7—11 mm long, 0.7-2 mm wide, upper surface slightly concave, mostly hairless, tip pointed with a short mucro (exposed tip of vien). Leaves are straighter than those of Taxandria parviceps.

Flower clusters generally globular, axillary or terminating short axillary shoots, 10–15 mm across. Bracts and bracteoles largely hairless. Sepals hairless and usually pointed though they may be rounded. Petals white. Stamens 10, one opposite each sepal and petal.

Fruits in roughly globular clusters, typically 8–10 mm across. Each capsule roughly cup-shaped 2.5–3.5 mm across, downy.

Flowers mostly February to May but petals persist until at least fruit matures; fruits May to November, usually persisting until the following season or longer.






All photographs (c) Keith Morris, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) unless otherwise indicated.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Taxandria linearifolia

-
Image
Linearfolia from the Latin linearis - linear and folius - leaved. Occurs from about 80 km north of Perth (Gingin and Wongan Hills) to the extreme south west of the state and east to the Stirling Range and Mt Manypeaks. Grows bordering swamps and watercourses, on loam, clay or sandy soils in forest, woodland or shrubland. A shrub or small tree to 5 m high, sometimes weeping. Leaves usually single, sometimes clustered on short axillary shoots, well-spaced and usually spreading (less so on weeping branches), very shortly stalked; blade narrowly elliptic, more or less flat, 7–45 mm long, 0.5–4 mm wide, normally largely hairless, midrib and also sometimes 2 more very faint longitudinal veins evident on lower surface, base tapered, sometimes with sparse appressed marginal hairs, tip normally pointed with a short mucro (exposed section of leave vein) or less often rounded. Flower clusters axillary or terminating short axillary shoots, 5–9 mm across. Bracts and bracteoles hairy. Sepals wooly ha...
Read more

Taxandria

-
Image
There are eleven species of Taxandria all endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. One species, conspicua, is divided into two subspecies. They are usually shrubs but two species, T. parviceps and T. linearifolia grow into very small trees and T. juniperina can grow into quite a large tree (over 20 m tall). Flowers are in heads, generally globular. The most noticeable feature of the flowers, which may require a magnifying glass (or phone magnifying app) to see, is there are ten stamens, one opposite each petal and sepal. The use of the word opposite confused me when I was first looking at this genus and to the non-botanist could perhaps be better described as 'next to' as there is one stamen by each petal and sepal. The name taxandria is derived from the Latin tax - ordered and andrus - male and refers to this orderly stamen arrangement. The fruit, like the flower heads, are in clusters, generally globular, each fruit having three valves. Taxandria marginata flower showi...
Read more

Taxandria parviceps

-
Image
Parviceps from the Latin parvi - small and ceps - headed. Refers to the small flower heads. Occurs from near Dardanup throughout the extreme south west of the state as far east as Two Peoples Bay; also recorded north to the Porongurup and Stirling Ranges. Grows in heath, shrubland, woodland or forest, often on the margins of seasonally wet areas, mostly on sandy soils and often forming quite dense thickets. In the Stirling Range the species has been recorded on heavier soils at rocky sites. A shrub or very small tree to 4 m tall. The leaves usually clustered in short axillary shoots, stalkless, spreading, curved outward in upper half, narrowly obovate or narrowly elliptic, occasionally some leaves obovate to elliptic, thick, the upper surface flat to slightly concave, the lower surface slightly convex, typically 3–7 mm long, 0.6–1.5 mm wide, hairless but sometimes with minute hairs at the leaf base, tip rounded or pointed often with a minute point. The flowers are in more or less globul...
Read more