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.

Posted on June 7, 2023 05:05 AM by boobook99