Verticordia nitens
| Christman Morrison | |
|---|---|
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| V. nitens growing near Gingin | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Verticordia |
| Subgenus: | Chrysoma |
| Section: | Chrysorhoe |
| Species: | V. nitens |
| Binomial name | |
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Verticordia nitens (Lindl.) Endl. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Chrysorhoe nitens Lindl. |
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Chrysorhoe nitens Lindl.
Verticordia nitens, commonly known as Christmas Morrison and other names, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The Noongar peoples know the plant as kotyeningara. It is an upright shrub with glistening and perfumed flower heads that appear between October and February. The small compact and erect flowers have been noted for their beauty. Although it occurs in areas near Perth, Morrison featherflower is not classed as rare or endangered because it still occurs in large populations, although its numbers have undoubtedly been reduced as a result of urban development.
Verticordia nitens is a shrub which usually grows to a height of between 0.45 and 1.8 m (1 and 6 ft) although it will sometimes reach a height of 3 m (10 ft), especially in the Gingin area. It will sometimes spread to a width of 0.9 m (3 ft) from upper parts of its solitary basal stem. Unlike some others in the genus, it does not possess a lignotuber. Plants have slender branches, corymb-like in the upper parts. The leaves are needle-like, but soft and 15–25 mm (0.6–1 in) long.
The flowers are scented and arranged corymb-like on the ends of the branches, each flower on a stalk 5–16 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long. The flowers vary in colour from bright golden, to orange and to a lemon yellow colour in the taller plants of the Gingin area. The floral cup is top-shaped, about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long and . The sepals are spreading, 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long, and have 7 to 8 feathery lobes. The petals are erect, egg-shaped to almost round, about 3 mm (0.1 in) long, with a toothed margin. The style is about 4 mm (0.2 in) long, glabrous and initially bent but straightens as the flower opens.
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