Verticordia

Verticordia is a genus of beautifully flowered shrubs, members of the Myrtaceae family. They are mostly found in Southwest Australia, with several outlier species in northern regions. A revision of the genus in 1991 produced a classification within Verticordia of 3 subgenera, 24 sections, and 101 species. Verticordia are highly diverse in form, occupy a wide variety of habitat, and may be abundant or rare species. Their profuse display of exquisite flowers has been harvested for floristry and admired as a wildflower.

The genus is best known for its flowers, often described in superlatives, which form massed displays in woodlands and heaths. These shrubs have appealed to amateur collectors and botanists, and were appreciated by the peoples of Australia before european settlement. The fringed or feathered appearance of the flowers is often enhanced by vivid and contrasting colours: this has given a common name for the genus, the Featherflowers. The variety displayed within the species, and between species in the genera is highly diverse.

The single flowers are often presented erect, these may be supported individually or grouped into tight displays of various arrangement. They may appear in succession or at once. The colour often varies as the flower ages, further adding to a painterly effect. The sepals are usually divided, sometimes to the base, taking a variety of thread-like or feather forms in these lobes. The colour of the sepals and petals is highly diverse, it may be solid, or variable, or mutable.

These may be of several colours, or solid, the striking combinations are of all colours except blue. There is no unisexual flowers in the species. Different species may be growing together, their massed displays creating painterly contrasts in flowering landscapes.

They are highly variable in appearance, often as a woody shrub, low or up to 2 metres, two tropical species are 7 metres. Branches may be upright or splayed out, sometimes pendulous, and are tightly or sparsely arranged. Leaves are very small or medium, scattered or opposite, and might be ciliated at the margin. The leaf shape is highly variable across, and these may differ at the base and floral leaves on individuals.


Cultivation
Verticordia are known for their feather-like or fringed flowers, the beauty of these is invariably included in any description. This has been accompanied by a high desirability as a garden plant, and as a cut flower. Restrictions exist on the collection of wildflowers in Western Australia, but previous collection of flowers for the floral industry is thought to have placed some species under duress.

They are generally somewhat difficult to grow in cultivation, but some success has been achieved. Outside of their natural habitat Verticordia have shown consistently good results in the temperate regions of Australia. All species require excellent drainage and prefer Mediterranean-type climate of very dry summers and wet winters.

The cultivation of Verticordia in the Eastern states of Australia has proved difficult; many of the species are intolerant of the wet summers of those regions, especially with regard to root or collar rot and moulds and mildew. The successes achieved by some growers have been through the use of bell jars, attention to soil types and potting mixes, and, experimentally, the use of grafting onto other related genuses' species such as Darwinia citriodora and Geraldton Wax, Chamelaucium uncinatum.

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