Hypolaena from the Greek hypo, under and chlaina, a cloak. Refers to the glumes at the base of the spikes.

The following table lists the Hypolaena species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different.

H. grandiuscula

From Telopea: Hypolaena grandiuscula resembles H. fastigiata in its ascending rhizomes and general habit, but differs in the slender orange-brown female spikelets with tepals to 4 mm long (when fruiting) and males with glumes all fertile. It occurs in the south-west of Western Australia on sandy soils from near Busselton to east of Denmark but appears to be rare throughout its range. Hypolaena fastigiata has dark red-brown female spikelets with tepals to 1 mm long and males with few to many sterile lower glumes per spikelet; it occurs in the south of Western Australia and in eastern Australia from South Australia and Victoria to Tasmania, and through coastal districts to south-eastern Queensland.

Melaleuca from Greek melos, black and leucos, white. Refers to the black trunk and white branches of some Asian species.

The following table lists the Melaleuca species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different. If the species was described after Flora of the South West was published, the paper describing the species is noted. Where a species is not included in Flora of the South West I have endeavored to provide some sort of description after the table.

M. blaeriifolia

There have been very few collections of this species within the area covered by the book and perhaps this is why it was excluded.

Melaleuca blaeriifolia usually grows to a height of 1 or 2 m and is dense and intricately branched. Its leaves are egg-shaped to triangular, 2–6 mm long and 1.1–2.5 mm wide with a short stalk. Greenish-yellow cylindrical or spherical heads of flowers either at the ends of branches or in leaf axils on older wood from August to November. The stamens, which give the flowers their colour, are arranged in five bundles around the flower and in this species, there are three to five stamens per bundle. The woody capsules which follow flowering are cylindrical, about 6 mm wide and long, arranged singly or in small groups.

M. citrina

There were no collections for this species in the area covered by the book when it was published. There have subsequently been a few including one in Denmark. This is an east coast species which is widely cultivated so the plant in Denmark was either cultivated or a garden escape.

A shrub, usually to 3m tall and wide, with leaves 26–99 mm long and 4–25 mm wide, obovate with a pointed end. The flowers are red and arranged in spikes on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering and sometimes also in the upper leaf axils. The spikes are 45–70 mm in diameter and 60–100 mm long.

M. viminalis

There were no collections for this species in the area covered by the book when it was published. There have subsequently been a few including one in Denmark. The species is listed in Florabase as native to Western Australia although there are only a few collections which are all relatively recent. It is very common on the east coast and is widely cultivated so the plant in Denmark could have been either cultivated or a garden escape. It appears it is either a rare native to Western Australia or a weed!

A large shrub or small tree growing to 10 m tall with hard, fibrous, furrowed bark, a number of trunks and usually pendulous branches. Its leaves are arranged alternately and are 25–138 mm long, 3–27 mm wide, more or less flat, narrowly elliptic to narrow obovate the end tapering to a sharp point. Flowering occurs throughout the year but mainly September to December. The flowers are bright red and are arranged in spikes on and around the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. The spikes are 35–50 mm in diameter and 40–100 mm long with 15 to 50 individual flowers. The petals are 3.4–5.9 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and fall off as the flower ages and the stamens are arranged in five bundles of 9 to 14 around the flower. Fruit are woody capsules 3.8–4.8 mm long and 5–6 mm in diameter.

M. pentagon var. pentagona

The name M. scabra was misapplied to numerous similar species. In a paper in Australian Systematic Botany (12 819–927 (1999)) and a book Melaleucas : their botany, essential oils and uses which is freely available here, the correct name for the species occuring in the Denamrk area was stated to be M. pentagona var. pentagona which has a distribution from the Mount Barker–Albany district to the Esperance district. There has only been one collection identified as this species in Denmark, on the Bibbulmun track west of Parry Road. There have been two iNat observations in Denmark in the Mount Romance, Mount Lindesay area.

M. violacea

The reason this was not included in the book eludes me. There have not been that many collections is the area covered by the book but I would have thought enough to merit inclusion. However, only one collection has so far been made in Denmark in the northwest of the Shire.

A shub usually less than 1.5 m tall with many horizontal, layered branches. Its leaves are in opposite pairs, glabrous, heart-shaped to oblong or oval usually 5–15 mm long, 2–8 mm wide and with a short stalk. Flowering occurs from July to November. Purple or violet flowers, individually or in groups of up to six. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower, each bundle with up to 25 stamens. The fruit are woody capsules, 2.5–3 mm long, 4–6 mm in diameter. The persistent sepals produce a star shape when the fruits are viewed end-on.

Thysanotus from Greek thysanotos fringed referring to the fringed inner petals.

The following table lists the Thysanotus species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different. If the species was described after Flora of the South West was published, the paper describing the species is noted. Where a species is not included in Flora of the South West I have endeavored to provide some sort of description after the table.

T. glaucifolius

There have only been two collections identified as this species in the area covered by the book and presumably this is why it was excluded.

There is a profile on Flora of Australia for this species.

About 10 leaves per plant 50–120 mm long, glaucous often with some reddish colouration. 1 or 2 flower heads of 4–6 flowers on a scape 12–23cm long. Stamens 3, anthers equal.

T. isanthuerus

Only one collection in the area covered by the book when it was written, presumably excluded for this reason. There is one record on iNaturalist for this species in Denmark and the single flower is white.

There is a profile on Flora of Australia for this species.

Grows in moss swards on granite. Thread like leaves 10–15 cm long drooping at tips. 1 or 2 inflorescences per plant each 1 to 5 flowers. Stamens 6 anthers equal.

T. pauciflorus

There were no collections in the area covered by the book identified as this species when the book was written. Since then a collection made by B.G. Hammersley in 1999 has been so identified.

There is a profile on Flora of Australia for this species.

The species is similar to T. multiflorus but has a single inflorescence with only 2–4 flowers rather than 1 or more with 6–60 flowers. The leaves are also smaller at 50–70 mm long compared to 70–570 mm long for T. multiflorus. Stamens 3, anthers equal.

A very small T. multiflorus plant might well be confused with this species.

T. sparteus
There have been no collections made of this species in Denmark Shire so Florabase does not show it as occuring there. The book and Flora of Australia both suggest that the species is likely to occur in Denmark.

Scaevola from Latin scaevus, on the left refers to the one-sided corolla of many species.

The following table lists the Scaevola species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different. If the species was described after Flora of the South West was published, the paper describing the species is noted. Where a species is not included in Flora of the South West I have endeavored to provide some sort of description after the table.

S. calliptera / S. striata

These species are very similar. The difference is in the hairs on the stem and flower stalk which in S. calliptra are straight and at right angles to the axis whereas in S. striata they are upward pointing.

S. nitida

This species is often misidentified as S. crassifolia (Cushion Fanflower), a species which Florabase does not include as occuring in Denmark and which I have not found there. All the iNat observations in Denmark for S. crassifolia I have gone to look at have turned out to be S. nitida. The most obvious difference between the two species is that the leaves of S. crassifolia are paddle shaped and have stalks whereas those of S. nitida are elliptic or obovate, toothed, usually pointed and with, at most, a very short stalk.

Marianthus from Maria, the Virgin Mary, and the Greek anthos a flower. On account of the white colour of the original species Marianthus candidus

The following table lists the Marianthus species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different. If the species was described after Flora of the South West was published, the paper describing the species is noted. Where a species is not included in Flora of the South West I have endeavored to provide some sort of description after the table.

M. candidus

There is only one record shown in Florabase for a collection within Denmark Shire. This record is from 1979 and shows the location as “Downe Road Wood Reserve”. I believe this refers to Down Road Nature Reserve which is 14km northwest of Albany, not in Denmark Shire. Both the book and the paper, Australian Systematic Botany 17 127–144(2004), reinstating and revising the genus state the distribution does not extend further east than around Pemberton and Manjimup. The paper further states that the species is often confused with Billardiera floribunda so the few collections further east than the range given in the book and paper are possibly misidentified.

M. drummondianus

It appears there were no collections identified as this species within the area covered by the book when it was written. Several collections have now been identified as this species including one by B.G. Hammersley in 1998 at Millar’s Basin in the north of the Denmark Shire.

Slender, twining shrub. Adult leaves 10–18 × 4–6 mm, elliptic, stalkless. Inflorescences few flowered terminal umbels, peduncles to 23 mm long, nodding; sepals to 5 mm, narrow and pointed, hairy; petals 17–18 mm long; blue, darkening with age, developing contrasting darker blotches in throat. Filaments eventually blue; anthers white. Fruit 10–11 × 7 mm, stalked, ovate, blue initially becoming brown. Flowering August–October.

M. sylvaticus

The paper states that this species is only known from the Walpole area. The book however gives a distibution from Walpole to Denmark and north to Mount Lindesay, extending east to Albany. From my observations the species is common on Mount Lindesay and occurs on Mount Hallowell.

Slender climber, stems red-brown, sparsely hairy. Adult leaves 50–85 × 4–6 mm, linear to narrowly eliptic, base narrowing to a distinct stalk about 5 mm long. Inflorescences many flowered clusters, pedicels about 10mm long. Sepals 2–3 mm, pointed and sparsely hairy. Flowers blue fading to white with prominent purple venation, not spotted. Stamens filaments cream, anthers ovoid, white with a blue stripe. Ovary hairless, style short. Flowers in autumn.

Billardiera named after Jacques-Julien Houtou de la Billardiére (1755–1834), botanist.

The following table lists the Billardiera species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different. If the species was described after Flora of the South West was published, the paper describing the species is noted. Where a species is not included in Flora of the South West I have endeavored to provide some sort of description after the table.

B. coriacea

When the book was published there were only two collections in the area it covered and perhaps this is why it was excluded. The following description is from Wikipedia and covered by Creative Commons Attribution-shareAlike Licence 3.0.

Billardiera coriacea is a woody scrambler or climber that has its new shoots covered with a few silky hairs, but later glabrous. Its young leaves are broadly elliptic, 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) long and 15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in) wide, the adult leaves more or less oblong, 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) long and 15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in) wide on a short petiole. The flowers are arranged singly or in small groups on a peduncle 8–14 mm (0.31–0.55 in) long. The sepals are 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and the petals white to pale yellow, later dark blue to purple, and 14–16 mm (0.55–0.63 in) long, the lobes spreading but not turned back. Flowering occurs from May to November and the mature fruit is a dark purple berry 20–25 mm (0.79–0.98 in) long with the seeds in papery liners.

B. drummondii

I have included a description summarised from Australian Systematic Botany 17, 121–123(2004) so that it is similar to those of B. fusiformis and B. heterophylla below as the three species are easily confused.

Slender twiner. Adult leaves 10–20 (30) mm × 2–3 mm, linear, stalks 1–2 mm long, margins undulate, slightly thickened; tips with a small point; both leaf surfaces softly hairy. Inflorescences terminal cymes, 1–3 flowers nodding on slender pedicels 6–7 mm long. Sepals 2–3 mm long, very narrrow and pointe, densely hairy; petals 6–8 mm long, slightly obovate, blue, mauve. Stamens with anthers yellowish, longer than filaments. Fruit spindle-shaped, less than 10 mm long, dark green or purple. Flowers spring to early autumn.

B. fusiformis

For a long while this species was merged into B. heterophylla. In 2004 it was reinstated.

Climber, rarely bushy. Adult leaves 25–50 × 2–6 mm, linear to narrow elliptic, almost stemless, both leaf surfaces may be softly hairy. Inflorescences terminal cymes of usually less than 4 flowers, rachides to 10–15 mm long, peduncles 6–10 mm. Calyx 2–3 mm long, lobes approximately equal in size, both surfaces often silky hairy, very narrow and pointed, purple. Petals 6–11 × 3 mm, elliptic to angular-obovate, cuspidate, apices often hairy, always recurving at least slightly, usually vivid azure blue, may also be pale blue to pink. Stamens with filaments equal to or shorter than anthers; anthers 3.5–4.5 mm long. Fruit less than 20 mm long, fusiform (spindle shaped). Flowering late spring and summer.

B. heterophylla

Florabase does not include Denmark as a location this species has been collected. Perhaps it is regarded as a colonising plant in disturbed areas. It is along the rail trails that I have seen it. Otherwise I may have been misidentifying some B. fusiformis plants as this species.

The description in the book is for this species when it included B. fusiformis so leaf sizes and so on are broadly described to cover the range of both species. I have therefore included a description which is summarised from Australian Systematic Botany 17, 119–121(2004).

Woody, rounded shrubs, often with some climbing branches. Adult leaves alternate, mostly ovate, 30–50 mm × 10–20 mm, narrower in climbing branches; stalks 2–3 mm long, both leaf surfaces hairless. Inflorescences terminal cymes with up to 10 nodding flowers; rachides to 30 mm long, peduncles 8–20 mm long. Sepals with unequal lobes, less than 3 mm long, purple. Petals 7–10 × 3–4 mm wide, obovate, margins incurving, apices not reflexing; normally sky blue but may also be white or pink. Stamens with anthers about the same length as filaments. Fruit 20–30 mm long, cylindrical (when mature), green-purple. Flowering mainly in summer.

* Not necessarily reliable based on my observations.

Note: The paper from Australian Systematic Botany referred to above is freely available on ResearchGate.

Flora of the South West: Bunbury - Augusta - Denmark
About the book and an introduction to my later posts tracking changes to plant names used in the book and new species but only for those found in Denmark.

Flora of Denmark WA

Anthericaceae

Thysanotus

Epacridaceae

Leucopogon
Styphelia

Goodeniaceae

Scaevola

Myrtaceae

Agonis
Astartea
Melaleuca
Taxandria

Pittosporaceae

Billardiera
Marianthus

Restionaceae

Hypolaena

Astartea from the goddess Astarte (equivalent to Venus) to whom the myrtles were sacred.

The following table lists the Astartea species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different. If the species was described after Flora of the South West was published, the paper describing the species is noted. Where a species is not included in Flora of the South West I have endeavored to provide some sort of description after the table.

A. corniculata

When the book was published there were no collections identified as this species in the area covered by the book. Three collections have since been so identified two of which are in Denmark Shire. There is a full description of the species in Nuytsia 23:229(2013). A short description follows.

Low, lignotuberous shrub. Flowers 4–6.5mm diameter. Sepals prominently horned. Petals 1.7–2.5mm long, white or pale pink. Stamens usually 15–20 in bundles of 2–5 opposite the sepals.

A. sp. “Southern Ranges”

It is hard to get information on ‘phrase name’ species. Three collections have been made in Denmark Shire, all in January 2003 in the same area (Watershed Road). The following description is synthesised from the notes with those collections and the photos on Florabase. Plants lignotuberous, multi-stemmed, stems to 1.5 m, flowers pale, calyx lobes with tubercles and a rounded membranous margin, sepals rounded, ridged, stamens in 5 bundles of 3–5 opposite the sepals.

Taxandria from the Latin tax, arranged and andrus, male. Refers to the stamens arranged regularly opposite the petals and sepals.

The following table lists the Taxandria species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different.

Agonis from the Greek agon, a gathering or collection. Probably refers to the small tight flower heads.

The following table lists the Agonis species which are shown by Florabase to have been collected in Denmark Shire. The second column shows whether the species was included in the book Flora of the South West and under what name if different. Most of the Agonis species which were included in the book have since been transferred to the Taxandria genus.

A. flexuosa var. latifolia

A. flexuosa is the well known (Western Australian) Peppermint. Var. latifolia is possibly a hybrid of A. flexuosa and A. theiformis. It is not common in Denmark but can be found on Light’s Road.