Adenanthos dobagii
Encyclopedia
Adenanthos dobagii, commonly known as Fitzgerald Woollybush, is a shrub
in the family Proteaceae
. It grows to a mere 50 cm ( ft) high, with crowded small silvery leaves and insignificant pink or cream flowers. It occurs only in southwestern Australia, where it is found in Fitzgerald River National Park
on the south coast.
Flowers occur in groups of three, borne at the ends of branches. They are pale pink or cream, and only about 11 mm (0.4 in) long, making them the smallest flowers in the genus.
Overall the species is similar in appearance to A. flavidiflorus, but differs in having smaller flowers and lacking a lignotuber
.
, from the vicinity of Quoin Head in the Fitzgerald River National Park
on the south coast of Western Australia
. Nelson published the species in 1978, as part of a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus. He chose the specific epithet dobagii from the initials of the Department of Biogeography and Geomorphology, the Australian National University
department at which Nelson had performed the work underpinning the publication.
Nelson followed George Bentham
in dividing Adenanthos into two sections, placing A. dobagii into A. sect. Adenanthos
because its perianth tube is straight and not swollen above the middle. He further divided the section into two subsections, with A. dobagii placed into A. subsect. Anaclastos for reasons including the length of its perianth. However Nelson discarded his own subsections in his 1995 treatment of Adenanthos for the Flora of Australia
series of monographs.
The placement of A. dobagii in Nelson's arrangement of Adenanthos
may be summarised as follows:
, and appears to be restricted to a small area in the Fitzgerald River National Park
, on the south coast of the state. A population numbering in the thousands ranges over about 10 km (6 mi) between Telegraph Track and Quoin Head; and there are also scattered plants along the coast between Quoin Head and Marshes Beach. In total there are seven populations comprising around 125000 plants.
It occurs in sandy soil in low-lying areas at the foot of hills. It has been reported growing in sand-heath, open mallee, and in a low mixed shrubland of Allocasuarina humilis
(Dwarf Sheoak), Isopogon trilobus
(Three-lobed Conebush) and Melaleuca pulchella
(Clawflower) over sedge
s.
. It was subsequently listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Protection Act 1992, and this listing was retained when the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
came into force. It is said to have been "rediscovered" in 1998.
The main threat to the species is bushfire. Other potential threats include damage during track maintenance, and dieback caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi
, to which highly susceptible.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
in the family Proteaceae
Proteaceae
Proteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...
. It grows to a mere 50 cm ( ft) high, with crowded small silvery leaves and insignificant pink or cream flowers. It occurs only in southwestern Australia, where it is found in Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in Western Australia , southeast of Perth, in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup....
on the south coast.
Description
Adenanthos dobagii grows as a small open shrub up to half a metre ( ft) high. The leaves, which are usually crowded together at the ends of branches, are from 8 to 20 mm (0.3–0.8 in) long, and deeply lobed into laciniae. They always have three primary segments, with the outer two segments usually further dividing into two, resulting in five laciniae. They appear silvery in colour, but this is due to a dense covering of hairs.Flowers occur in groups of three, borne at the ends of branches. They are pale pink or cream, and only about 11 mm (0.4 in) long, making them the smallest flowers in the genus.
Overall the species is similar in appearance to A. flavidiflorus, but differs in having smaller flowers and lacking a lignotuber
Lignotuber
A lignotuber is a starchy swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem by fire. The crown contains buds from which new stems may sprout, and a sufficient store of nutrients to support a period of growth in the absence of...
.
Taxonomy
Specimens of this species were collected in 1972 and 1973 by Irish botanist Ernest Charles NelsonErnest Charles Nelson
Ernest Charles Nelson is a botanist who specialises in the Proteaceae family, especially the Adenanthos genus; and the Ericaceae, especially Erica. He is the author of over 20 books and more than 150 research papers...
, from the vicinity of Quoin Head in the Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in Western Australia , southeast of Perth, in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup....
on the south coast of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Nelson published the species in 1978, as part of a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus. He chose the specific epithet dobagii from the initials of the Department of Biogeography and Geomorphology, the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
department at which Nelson had performed the work underpinning the publication.
Nelson followed George Bentham
George Bentham
George Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
in dividing Adenanthos into two sections, placing A. dobagii into A. sect. Adenanthos
Adenanthos sect. Adenanthos
Adenanthos sect. Adenanthos is a taxonomic section of the flowering plant genus Adenanthos . It comprises 29 species. The centre of diversity is southwest Western Australia, with two species extending into South Australia and western Victoria.-Description:The section is characterised by flowers in...
because its perianth tube is straight and not swollen above the middle. He further divided the section into two subsections, with A. dobagii placed into A. subsect. Anaclastos for reasons including the length of its perianth. However Nelson discarded his own subsections in his 1995 treatment of Adenanthos for the Flora of Australia
Flora of Australia (series)
The Flora of Australia is a 59 volume series describing the vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens present in Australia and its external territories...
series of monographs.
The placement of A. dobagii in Nelson's arrangement of Adenanthos
Nelson's taxonomic arrangement of Adenanthos
Ernest Charles Nelson's taxonomic arrangement of Adenanthos was the first modern-day arrangement of that plant genus. First published in his 1978 Brunonia article "A taxonomic revision of the genus Adenanthos ", it superseded the arrangement of George Bentham, which had stood for over a hundred years...
may be summarised as follows:
- AdenanthosAdenanthosAdenanthos is an genus of Australian native shrubs in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. Variable in habit and leaf shape, it is the only Proteaceae genus in which solitary flowers is the norm. It was discovered in 1791, and formally published by Jacques Labillardière in 1805. There are now 33...
- A. sect. EurylaemaAdenanthos sect. EurylaemaAdenanthos sect. Eurylaema is a taxonomic section of the flowering plant genus Adenanthos . It comprises four species, all of which are endemic to southwest Western Australia.-Description:...
(4 species) - A. sect. AdenanthosAdenanthos sect. AdenanthosAdenanthos sect. Adenanthos is a taxonomic section of the flowering plant genus Adenanthos . It comprises 29 species. The centre of diversity is southwest Western Australia, with two species extending into South Australia and western Victoria.-Description:The section is characterised by flowers in...
- A. drummondiiAdenanthos drummondiiAdenanthos drummondii is a shrub of the Proteaceae family, native to the south coast of Western Australia. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Adenanthos and is most closely related to A. stictus....
- A. dobagii
- A. apiculatusAdenanthos apiculatusAdenanthos apiculatus is a shrub of the Proteaceae family, native to the south coast of Western Australia. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Adenanthos and has had only 29 records of occurrence....
- A. linearisAdenanthos linearisAdenanthos linearis is a shrub of the Proteaceae family, native to the south coast of Western Australia. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Adenanthos and has had only 14 occurrences; out of those 14, only 5 have had exact coordinates....
- A. pungensAdenanthos pungensAdenanthos pungens is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia....
(2 subspecies) - A. gracilipes
- A. venosus
- A. dobsonii
- A. glabrescensAdenanthos glabrescensAdenanthos glabrescens is a species of small shrub endemic to the Ravensthorpe area in southwest Western Australia. First published in 1978, there are two subspecies.-Description:...
(2 subspecies) - A. ellipticus
- A. cuneatusAdenanthos cuneatusAdenanthos cuneatus is a shrub of the Proteaceae family, native to the south coast of Western Australia. It was originally described by French naturalist Jacques Labillardière in 1805. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the section Adenanthos and is most closely related to A. stictus. A....
- A. stictusAdenanthos stictusAdenanthos cuneatus is a shrub of the Proteaceae family, native to the south coast of Western Australia. It was described by Alex George in 1974....
- A. ileticosAdenanthos ileticosAdenanthos ileticos is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It has roughly triangular, lobed leaves, and pale pink-red and cream, inconspicuous flowers. A rare species, it is known only from a single location in the south-west of Western Australia...
- A. forrestii
- A. eyreiAdenanthos eyreiAdenanthos eyrei is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. Restricted to a single cliff-top dune system on the remote south coast of Western Australia, it is listed as rare and endangered. It was discovered by E...
- A. cacomorphusAdenanthos cacomorphusAdenanthos cacomorphus is a small shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is found in southwestern Australia.-Description:Adenanthos cacomorphus grows as a small lignotuberous shrub up to one metre high. The soft and hairy leaves are more or less triangular in shape with 3 to 5 apical lobes...
- A. flavidiflorus
- A. argyreusAdenanthos argyreusAdenanthos argyreus is a species of erect shrub endemic to southwest Western Australia....
- A. macropodianusAdenanthos macropodianusAdenanthos macropodianus, commonly known as Gland Flower, or Kangaroo Island Gland Flower, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to Kangaroo Island in South Australia...
- A. terminalisAdenanthos terminalisAdenanthos terminalis, commonly known as Gland Flower, Yellow Gland Flower or Adenanthos, is a one metre tall shrub in the Proteaceae family...
- A. sericeusAdenanthos sericeusAdenanthos sericeus, commonly known as Woolly Bush, is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. It has bright red but small and obscure flowers, and very soft, deeply divided, hairy leaves.-Description:...
(2 subspecies) - A. × cunninghamiiAdenanthos × cunninghamiiAdenanthos × cunninghamii, commonly known as Woollybush, Albany Woollybush or Prostrate Woollybush, is a hybrid shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.-Description:...
- A. oreophilusAdenanthos oreophilusAdenanthos oreophilus, commonly known as Woollybush, is a species of tall shrub endemic to southwest Western Australia. It is closely related to the better known A. sericeus , and was only classified as a species distinct from the latter in 1978 by Irish botanist E...
- A. cygnorumAdenanthos cygnorumAdenanthos cygnorum, commonly known as common woollybush or just woollybush, is a tall shrub in the Proteaceae family. It is endemic to Western Australia, commonly occurring in the south west of the State from north of Geraldton south to Kojonup...
(2 subspecies) - A. meisneriAdenanthos meisneriAdenanthos meisneri, commonly known as Prostrate Woollybush, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia....
- A. velutinus
- A. filifoliusAdenanthos filifoliusAdenanthos filifolius is a species of erect shrub endemic to southwest Western Australia. It was first described by George Bentham in 1870....
- A. labillardiereiAdenanthos labillardiereiAdenanthos labillardierei is a species of erect shrub endemic to the slopes of the Barren Ranges in the Fitzgerald River National Park in southwest Western Australia.-Description:It grows as an erect shrub, usually less than m in height...
- A. acanthophyllus
- A. drummondii
- A. sect. Eurylaema
Distribution and habitat
Adenanthos dobagii is certainly endemic to Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, and appears to be restricted to a small area in the Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in Western Australia , southeast of Perth, in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup....
, on the south coast of the state. A population numbering in the thousands ranges over about 10 km (6 mi) between Telegraph Track and Quoin Head; and there are also scattered plants along the coast between Quoin Head and Marshes Beach. In total there are seven populations comprising around 125000 plants.
It occurs in sandy soil in low-lying areas at the foot of hills. It has been reported growing in sand-heath, open mallee, and in a low mixed shrubland of Allocasuarina humilis
Allocasuarina humilis
Allocasuarina humilis, commonly known as the dwarf sheoak or dwarf casuarina, is a woody shrub of the family Casuarinaceae endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.-Description:...
(Dwarf Sheoak), Isopogon trilobus
Isopogon trilobus
Isopogon trilobus, commonly known as Barrel- or Three-lobed Cone Flower is a shrub that is endemic to south coastal regions of Western Australia. It has distinctive lobed leaves and yellow flowerheads which appear in spring and summer...
(Three-lobed Conebush) and Melaleuca pulchella
Melaleuca pulchella
Melaleuca pulchella, commonly known as the claw flower, is a woody shrub of the Myrtaceae family native to Western Australia. It is one of the many species described by the botanist Robert Brown....
(Clawflower) over sedge
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
s.
Conservation
Because of its very limited range, it was gazetted as rare in 1980, affording it legislative protection under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
The Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 is an act of the Western Australian Parliament that provides the statute relating to conservation and legal protection of flora and fauna....
. It was subsequently listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Protection Act 1992, and this listing was retained when the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
came into force. It is said to have been "rediscovered" in 1998.
The main threat to the species is bushfire. Other potential threats include damage during track maintenance, and dieback caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi
Phytophthora cinnamomi
Phytophthora cinnamomi is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants called root rot or dieback. The plant pathogen is one of the world's most invasive species and is present in over 70 countries from around the world.- Life cycle and effects on plants :P...
, to which highly susceptible.