Calothamnus

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Myrtales

Familia: Myrtaceae
Subfamilia: Myrtoideae
Tribus: Melaleuceae
Genus: Calothamnus
Subgenera: C. subg. Calothamnus – C. subg. Pentacalothamnus
Name

Calothamnus Labill.(1806)

Type species: C. sanguineus Labill.

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Billottia Colla, Hortus Ripul. 20. t. 23. 1824.
Type species: B. acerosa Colla

Species overview

C. accedens – C. affinis – C. arcuatus – C. aridus – C. blepharospermus – C. borealis – C. brevifolius – C. chrysanthereus – C. cupularis – C. formosus – C. gilesii – C. glaber – C. gracilis – C. graniticus – C. hirsutus – C. huegelii – C. kalbarriensis – C. lateralis – C. lehmannii – C. longissimus – C. macrocarpus – C. montanus – C. oldfieldii – C. pachystachyus – C. pallidifolius – C. phellosus – C. pinifolius – C. planifolius – C. preissii – C. quadrifidus – C. robustus – C. roseus – C. rupestris – C. sanguineus – C. scabridus – C. schaueri – C. superbus – C. torulosus – C. tuberosus – C. validus – C. villosus
(Govaerts, R. & al. 2013)
References

Farr, E.R. & Zijlstra, G. (eds.) 1996 onwards. Calothamnus in Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum). Accessed: 2013 Mar 04.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Calothamnus in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Mar 04. Reference page. as Melaleuca L., Mant. Pl. 1: 14 (1767)
Hawkeswood, T.J. 1984: Nine new species of Calothamnus Labill. (Myrtaceae: Leptospermoideae) from Western Australia. Nuytsia 5(1): 123–153 (127, figs 1-4!).
Hawkeswood, T.J. 2010: Studies in the genus Calothamnus (Myrtaceae: Leptospermoideae): redescription of Calothamnus glaber (Benth.) T.J. Hawkeswood stat nov., with notes on its distribution, habitat and conservation and a list of collection records. Calodema, 123: 1–5.
Labillardière, J.J.H. de 1806: Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen 2: 25. t. 164.

Calothamnus is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The common names one-sided bottlebrush or claw flower are given to some species due to their having the flowers clustered on one side of the stem or because of the claw-like appearance of their flowers. Calothamnus species are generally medium to tall woody shrubs with crowded leaves. In most species the leaves are crowded and linear in shape, and the flowers are usually arranged in dense clusters. The petals are small and fall off the flower soon after it opens but the stamens are long, numerous and usually bright red.

Description

Plants in the genus Calothamnus are medium to tall shrubs, sometimes low-growing ground covers. The leaves are linear or narrow lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, usually glabrous and have distinct oil glands. The flowers are in small groups or dense spikes on leafless, older stems or between the leaves on younger ones. The sepals are fused to form a bell-shaped cup which is often immersed in the branch and there are four or five petals which usually fall off after the flower has opened. There are many stamens, joined for a large proportion of their length into four or five "claws". In some species the upper two claws are fused together and the lower ones are shorter. The stamens are brightly coloured, crimson to a deep purple or rarely yellow. The fruit is a woody capsule.[2][3][4]
Calothamnus graniticus subsp. graniticus
Calothamnus pinifolius
Taxonomy and naming

The first species in the genus to be described was Calothamnus sanguineus. It was first formally described in 1806 by the French biologist Jacques Labillardière in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen, Volume 2.[5][6] The name Calothamnus is derived from the Greek words kalos meaning "beautiful"[7]: 131  and thamnos meaning "a shrub" or "a bush".[7]: 174 [8]

In 2014, Lyndley Craven and others proposed, mainly on the basis of DNA evidence, that species in the genus Calothamnus, along with those in Beaufortia, Conothamnus, Eremaea, Lamarchea, Petraeomyrtus, Phymatocarpus and Regelia be transferred to Melaleuca.[9]
Distribution and habitat

All Calothamnus species are found in the south west botanical province of Western Australia. Some (such as Calothamnus aridus) are adapted to a dry environment whilst others (such as Calothamnus hirsutus) are often found near swamps.[2]
Use in horticulture

Most species of Calothamnus have been grown in gardens but need full sun and good drainage. Propagation is usually from seeds which are retained in the hard fruits throughout the life of the plant but cuttings can be used to retain the colour of yellow forms.[10]
Species list

The following is a list of species recognised by the Western Australian Herbarium:[3][11]

Calothamnus accedens Hawkeswood
Calothamnus affinis Turcz.
Calothamnus arcuatus A.S.George
Calothamnus aridus Hawkeswood
Calothamnus blepharospermus F.Muell.
Calothamnus borealis Hawkeswood
Calothamnus brevifolius Hawkeswood
Calothamnus chrysanthereus F.Muell. - Claw flower
Calothamnus cupularis A.S.George
Calothamnus formosus Hawkeswood
Calothamnus gibbosus Benth.
Calothamnus gilesii F.Muell.
Calothamnus glaber (Benth.) A.S.George
Calothamnus gracilis R.Br.
Calothamnus graniticus Hawkeswood
Calothamnus hirsutus Hawkeswood
Calothamnus huegelii Schauer
Calothamnus lateralis Lindl.
Calothamnus lehmannii Schauer
Calothamnus longissimus F.Muell.
Calothamnus macrocarpus Hawkeswood
Calothamnus microcarpus F.Muell.
Calothamnus montanus A.S.George
Calothamnus oldfieldii F.Muell.
Calothamnus pachystachyus Benth.
Calothamnus phellosus A.S.George
Calothamnus pinifolius F.Muell. - Dense claw-flower
Calothamnus planifolius Lehm.
Calothamnus preissii Schauer
Calothamnus quadrifidus R.Br. - One-sided bottlebrush
Calothamnus robustus Schauer
Calothamnus roseus A.S.George
Calothamnus rupestris Schauer - Mouse ears
Calothamnus sanguineus Labill. - Silky-leaved blood-flower
Calothamnus scabridus A.S.George
Calothamnus schaueri Lehm.
Calothamnus superbus Hawkeswood & Mollemans
Calothamnus torulosus Schauer
Calothamnus tuberosus Hawkeswood
Calothamnus validus S.Moore - Barrens claw-flower
Calothamnus villosus R.Br.

References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Hawkeswood, Trevor J. (1984). "Nine new species of Calothamnus Labill. (Myrtaceae: Leptospermoideae) from Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 5 (1): 123–124. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
"Calothamnus Labill.". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2009). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (3rd ed.). Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Rosenberg Publishing P/L. p. 114. ISBN 9781877058844.
"Calothamnus sangineus". APNI. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
La Billardière, Jacques-Julien Houtou de (1806). Novae Hollandiae plantarum specimen Volume 2. Paris. pp. 25–26. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Booth, Carol. "Calothamnus quadrifidus". Australian National Botanic Garden. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
Craven, Lyn A.; Edwards, Robert D.; Cowley, Kirsten J. (30 June 2014). "New combinations and names in Melaleuca (Myrtaceae)". Taxon. 63 (3): 663–670. doi:10.12705/633.38.
Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray (1983). Australian native plants : a manual for their propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (2nd ed.). Sydney: Collins. pp. 194–195. ISBN 0002165759.
"Calothamnus". Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 25 July 2015.