Gastrolobium bilobum
Encyclopedia
Gastrolobium bilobum, commonly known as Heart-leaved Poison, is a bushy shrub which is endemic
to south west
Western Australia
. The species is a member of the family Fabaceae
and is probably the most toxic species in the genus Gastrolobium
, containing high levels of monofluroacetic acid.
The species grows to a height of up to 4 metres. Between late winter and early summer (August to December in Australia) it produces yellow-orange pea-flowers with a central yellow area encircled by a band of red, and a maroon keel. The leaves
are cuneiform, obovate or elliptic.
The species was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown
and published in Hortus Kew in 1811.
The vernacular name has been common for over 140 years, and is inappropriate due the leaves being wedge shaped, not heart shaped as the name suggests.
It occurs in the south-west of the state, usually on granite
-based soils on peaks and outcrops as well as along rivers. It is associated with karri
and marri
forest as well as mallee
and heathland.
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to south west
Southwest Australia
Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of five such regions in the world...
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...
. The species is a member of the family Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
and is probably the most toxic species in the genus Gastrolobium
Gastrolobium
Gastrolobium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. There are over 100 species in this genus, and all but two are native to the south west region of Western Australia....
, containing high levels of monofluroacetic acid.
The species grows to a height of up to 4 metres. Between late winter and early summer (August to December in Australia) it produces yellow-orange pea-flowers with a central yellow area encircled by a band of red, and a maroon keel. The leaves
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
are cuneiform, obovate or elliptic.
The species was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
and published in Hortus Kew in 1811.
The vernacular name has been common for over 140 years, and is inappropriate due the leaves being wedge shaped, not heart shaped as the name suggests.
It occurs in the south-west of the state, usually on granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
-based soils on peaks and outcrops as well as along rivers. It is associated with karri
Karri
Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as the Karri, is a eucalypt which is native to the wetter regions of south west of Western Australia.-Description:...
and marri
Corymbia calophylla
Corymbia calophylla is a bloodwood native to Western Australia. Common names include Marri and Port Gregory Gum, and a long standing usage has been Red Gum due to the red gum effusions often found on trunks.It is distinctive among bloodwoods for its very large buds and fruit Corymbia calophylla...
forest as well as mallee
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is a Major Vegetation Group which occurs in semi-arid areas of southern Australia. The vegetation is dominated by mallee eucalypts which are rarely over 6 metres high...
and heathland.
Further reading
- Gardner, C.A.Charles GardnerCharles Austin Gardner was a Western Australian botanist.Born in Lancaster, England on 6 January 1896, he emigrated to Western Australia with his family in 1909....
and Bennetts, H.W.Harold William BennettsHarold William Bennetts CBE was a Veterinary surgeon known for his ground-breaking research into diseases and pathogens of livestock, especially the toxic effects of some native Australian plants.Born in Carlton, Victoria...
(1956) The Toxic Plants of Western Australia Perth, West Australian Newspapers. p. 76