Adenanthos sericeus x cunninghammii
Prostrate Woollybush
Prostrate Woollybush
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots > Proteales > Proteaceae > Adenanthos sericeus x cunninghammii
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Common name: Prostrate Woollybush
Woollybush, Albany woollybush or prostrate woollybush, is a hybrid shrub in the family Proteaceae
The Noongar peoples know the plant as boyur
Conservation status: Rare
It is classified as "Priority Four - Rare" on the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation's Declared Rare and Priority Flora List
It was listed as "Endangered" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 until its removal from the list in 2006
As a hybrid, it did not qualify as a species under section 528 of the Act
It is moderately susceptible to Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback
Etymology:
Genus is from Greek aden, a gland and anthos, a flower, referring to the prominent nectaries in the flower
The specific epithet honours Allan Cunningham
Flowers
The single red flowers appear in September and October and again in March
It has a similar appearance to Adenanthos sericeus, but has leaf segments that are flattened rather than cylindrical like those of A. sericeus
Fruit:
Leaves:
The leaves are about 25 mm long, and deeply divided into three narrow segments, each of which is typically further divided into two laciniae
Thus most leaves have 6 laciniae, though sometimes there are 8, and very rarely fewer than six
Each lacinia is about 3 mm wide, somewhat concave, with a linear margin
Stem & branches:
Young branches are covered by short white hairs, but these are lost with age
Roots:
Habit:
It has an erect and spreading habit, growing to 1.5 m in height
Habitat:
It is found in low woodland, shrub and heathland on deep, sandy soils
Distribution:
It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia
The hybrid occurs in the vicinity of Torndirrup National Park including Shire Reserve to the south west of Albany as well as Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve and Gull Rock, east of Albany
Additional notes:
Cultivation
Albany woollybush is grown for its silvery foliage, rather than its relatively insignificant flowers, though the latter produce copious nectar that attracts honeyeaters
Although it is from a dry summer climate, it adapts to humid summer conditions
It prefers a position in full sun or part shade and freely draining light soil
Plants can be propagated relatively easily from cuttings of semi-mature current season's growth
Taxonomy
The hybrid was originally formally described as a species Adenanthos cunninghamii by Swiss botanist Carl Meissner
His description was published in 1845 in the first volume of Plantae Preissianae
A genetic analysis of Adenanthos cunninghamii was undertaken in 2003
This analysis confirmed that it is a hybrid between Adenanthos sericeus and Adenanthos cuneatus
Sources of information: