Lasiopetalum schulzenii
Encyclopedia
Lasiopetalum schulzenii, commonly known as drooping velvet bush, is a common shrub of the mallow
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...

 family. It was first described in the genus Corethrostylis by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...

 in a paper presented before the Royal Society of Victoria
Royal Society of Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria is the oldest learned society in the state of Victoria in Australia.The Royal Society of Victoria was formed in 1859 from a merger between The Philosophical Society of Victoria and The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science , both founded...

; that genus was treated as a section of Lasiopetalum
Lasiopetalum
Lasiopetalum is a genus in the family Malvaceae containing around 35 species of shrub, which are native to Australia. It is allied to the genera Guichenotia and Thomasia. The greatest diversity of species is in Western Australia, where 24 species are found of which 8 are endemic to the region...

by 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 his 1863 Flora Australiensis
Flora Australiensis
Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory, more commonly referred to as Flora Australiensis, and also known by its standard abbreviation Fl. Austral., is a seven-volume flora of Australia published between 1863 and 1878 by George Bentham, with the assistance of...

, resulting in the current name. The species was named after the 19th century botanist Ludwig F. Schulzen.

Lasiopetalum schulzenii is a spreading many-stemmed densely foliaged shrub to 2 m (7 ft) in height and 2.5 m (8 ft) across. The grey-green foliage is covered in fine hair, which is particularly prominent on new growth. The leaves are heart-shaped (cordate), and measure 2–7 cm (0.8-2.8 in) long and 1.5–5 cm (0.6-2 in) wide with recurved margins. Flowering occurs September to February, the cymes bearing from five to twelve five-pointed star-shaped flowers. 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in diameter, the calyces are whitish, and desnely covered with fine hair on the outside, and less so or smooth on the inside. The five tiny petals are a dark red-brown around the centre of the flower. Flowering is followed by round hairy fruit 0.4 cm (0.2 in) in diameter.

It is found in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

, and in coastal areas of south-western Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, where it is rare. It grows on alkaline sands, and is associated with Eucalyptus diversifolia subsp. megacarpa.

Lasiopetalum schulzenii has potential in horticulture, the compact foliage and flowering are features. It tolerates well-drained soils in sun or part-shaded aspect. It is frost hardy and can tolerate extended dry periods. Propagation is by seed or cutting. It has also been classified as somewhat fire retardant.
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