Beaufortia
Bottlebrush
Bottlebrush
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots > Rosids > Myrtaceae > Beaufortia
Other links:
Overview:
Beaufortia is a genus of woody shrubs and small trees in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Southwest Australia
The genus Beaufortia is closely related to Melaleuca, Calothamnus, Regelia and several others, differing mainly in the way the anthers are attached to the stalks of the stamens, and in the way they open to release their pollen
Beaufortia anthers are attached at one end and open by splitting at the other
Common name: Bottlebrush
Conservation status: some are poorly known
Some species of Beaufortia are common within their range but several, including Beaufortia bicolor, are classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife, meaning that they are poorly known and known from only a few locations but are not under imminent threat
Etymology:
The genus was named for the English gardener and botanist Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort, who possessed a flourishing botanical garden at her seat, at Badminton, in Gloucestershire
Flowers:
Most are andromonoecious, meaning they have both male and bisexual flowers on one plant
The flowers are in spikelike or headlike inflorescences
The flower has five triangular sepals and five white, yellow, red, pink, or purple petals, which are sometimes hairy
The petals usually fall off as the flower opens, or shortly after that
The stamens are red or deep pink, arranged in five bundles and extend well beyond the petals, giving the inflorescence its colour
Unlike other closely related genera such as Melaleuca, the anthers are attached to the filament at their base and release their pollen through two curved slits on the other end
Flowering in most species occurs throughout the year but mostly between late spring and autumn
Fruit:
The fruit is a dehiscent capsule with three valves, each holding a winged seed
Leaves:
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
Evergreen shrubs with very small, glandular, aromatic leaves usually oppositely arranged
The tallest are up to 3 m in height
Habitat:
Beaufortias are often found in sand plain and in heath, although Beaufortia sparsa usually grows in marshy places and is known by the common name swamp bottlebrush
Distribution:
All species of Beaufortia occur in the South West Botanical Province and about half the species also occur in the Eremaean province
Species:
World: 22
Australia: 22
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
The first formal description of the genus Beaufortia was published in 1812 by Robert Brown in William Aiton's Hortus Kewensis
It was followed by a description of the first-named species, Beaufortia decussata
Some taxonomists have suggested that Beaufortia along with Calothamnus, Conothamnus, Eremaea, Lamarchea, Petraeomyrtus, Phymatocarpus and Regelia should be included in the genus Melaleuca but the change has not been adopted by most herbaria
Ecology
Most beaufortias are serotinous, only reproducing from seed, released from the fruit after fire
Several species which occur in areas where fire is frequent, have a lignotuber which resprouts after fire. Honeyeaters (Family Meliphagidae) and the honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus) are thought to be the main pollinators but many kinds of insect have also been recorded on beaufortia flowers
Use in cultivation
All the species of Beaufortia are worth trialling in the garden but few have been grown successfully in eastern Australia
They require full sun and excellent drainage and benefit from being grown over limestone
Grafting onto Kunzea ambigua may also improve the chance of success
Species list
The following is a list of the 22 species of Beaufortia recognised by the Australian Plant Census and Western Australian Herbarium as at March 2020:
Beaufortia aestiva K.J.Brooks – Kalbarri beaufortia
Beaufortia anisandra Schauer – dark beaufortia
Beaufortia bicolor Strid - Badgingarra beaufortia
Beaufortia bracteosa Diels
Beaufortia burbidgeae A.A.Burb. – column beaufortia
Beaufortia cyrtodonta (Turcz.) Benth. – Stirling Range beaufortia
Beaufortia decussata R.Br. – gravel bottlebrush
Beaufortia elegans Schauer – elegant beaufortia
Beaufortia empetrifolia (Rchb.) Schauer – south coast beaufortia
Beaufortia eriocephala W.Fitzg. – woolly beaufortia
Beaufortia incana (Benth.) A.S.George –grey-leaved beaufortia
Beaufortia kwongkanicola A.A.Burb. – Lesueur beaufortia
Beaufortia macrostemon Lindl. – Darling Range beaufortia
Beaufortia micrantha Schauer – small-leaved beaufortia
Beaufortia orbifolia F.Muell. – Ravensthorpe bottlebrush
Beaufortia puberula Turcz. – hairy-leaved beaufortia
Beaufortia purpurea Lindl. – purple beaufortia
Beaufortia raggedensis A.A.Burb. - Mount Ragged beaufortia
Beaufortia schaueri Schauer – pink beaufortia
Beaufortia sparsa R.Br. – swamp bottlebrush
Beaufortia sprengelioides (DC.) Craven – Shark Bay beaufortia
Beaufortia squarrosa Schauer – sand bottlebrush
Sources of information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufortia_(plant) (September 2024)