Calothamnus tuberosus

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         . . .

Conservation status: Not Threatened

• Calothamnus tuberosus is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife

Etymology:   

• The name Calothamnus is derived from the Greek words kalos meaning "beautiful"  and thamnos meaning "a shrub" or "a bush"

• The specific epithet (tuberosus) is a Latin word meaning "full of lumps"

Flowers

• The flowers are rich red and in small dense spikes amongst the leaves or on the older, leafless branches

• The 4 petals are 3–4 mm long, thin, papery and orange to brown

• The stamens are arranged in 4 claw-like bundles, all 22–28 mm usually with 12 to 16 stamens per bundle

• Flowering occurs from November to January, although sometimes in other months, depending on weather conditions

Fruit:                            

• The fruits are woody, almost spherical capsules, 4–5 mm in diameter

Leaves:         

• Its leaves are crowded at the ends of the branches and are 50–80 mm long, 1.0–2.5 mm in diameter, stiff, cylindrical in shape and taper to a prickly point

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A compact, highly branched shrub growing to a height of about 2.5 m  or more

Habitat:   

• On or close to rocky granite outcrops 

Distribution:                  

• From the Barbalin area to Peak Charles in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions

Additional notes:  

• Taxonomy 

  • Calothamnus tuberosus was first formally described in 1984 by Trevor Hawkeswood in the botanical journal Nuytsia

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calothamnus_tuberosus (2024)