Darwinia collina

Darwinia collina
Darwinia collina foliage and inflorescences, Bluff Knoll
Conservation status
Endangered  (EPBC Act)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Darwinia
Species:	D. collina
Binomial name
Darwinia collina C.A.Gardner[1]

Darwinia collina, commonly known as the yellow mountain bell, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It grows as an erect shrub 0.3–1.2 metres (1–4 ft) high with crowded elliptical leaves^[2] and bright yellow flower-like inflorescences. It is endemic to a few small areas in the Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia and as a result is classified as an endangered species.^[3] Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin collina meaning "dweller on hills".^[4]

Description

The yellow mountain bell is a small, compact, erect shrub up to about 1.2 metres (4 ft) high. Its leaves are about 10 millimetres (0.4 in) long, 5 millimetres (0.2 in) wide and minutely toothed. Bell-shaped, flower-like inflorescences appear from March to April and from August to November. These are clusters of drooping, nectar-rich flowers with white petals surrounded by larger yellow to lime-green, petal-like bracts.^[5] There may be one to many flowers in each inflorescence.^[6] The styles are up to 20 millimetres (0.8 in) long and sometimes protrude slightly beyond the bracts.^[7] Both the leaves and bracts of Darwinia collina are more rounded than those of any other Darwinia species. The bell shape of the inflorescence is likely to protect the flowers from rain.^[8]

Taxonomy

Darwinia collina is one of about 70 species of Darwinia endemic to Australia, the majority being endemic to southern Western Australia. The earliest record of a collection of the species was made in 1922 and the species was named by C.A.Gardner in 1923. There have been no changes to its name since then. The species is known to hybridise with Darwinia leiostyla.^[5]

Distribution and habitat

The only known locations where Darwinia collina is found are Bluff Knoll, Coyanarup Peak, Bakers Knob and East Bluff in the Stirling Range National Park. These are all on Crown land in the Esperance plains biogeographic region.^[9] Other populations have been known in the past but no specimens have been seen in these areas since the 1990s. These extant populations, and most of the extinct ones, are (or were) in areas known to be significantly affected by Phytopthera cinnamomi.

Darwinia collina growth habit

Flowers surrounded by bracts

The species grows in dense heath and thicket in shallow, siliceous soils over sandstone and shale on mountain summits. The area in which the populations occur are in the Eastern Stirling Range Montane Heath and Thicket Threatened Ecological Community which only occur at altitudes between 750 and 1090 metres.^[10]

Conservation status

Darwinia collina is classified as a protected species under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act (1950), (Rare Flora) Notice 2014,^[11] and meets the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List Category Endangered (EN) under category A2c due to its limited range and decline in habitat quality.^[12][13] It is also listed as Endangered under the Australian Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999).^[5]

Cultivation

As with others in the genus, D. collina is difficult to grow from seed. It can be grown from cuttings and as a potted plant but is difficult to maintain in the garden.^[2] Some success has been reported with grafts onto D. citriodora.^[14]

References