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Practicing citations

This is a credible and authoritative source as it is published on a government website.

This article also contains more information about the dampiera altissima’s distribution and cultivation patterns, such as the locations and months during which the dampiera altissima can grow.

This book is a credible and authoritative source as it is a scholarly book written by two experts, Margaret Corrick and Bruce Alexander Fuhrer.

This online article is a credible and authoritative source as it is an academic source from a government website and is specifically focused on the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

Although this article is not a scholarly source, it is still authoritative as the website is created by an Australian plant nursery specialising in the distribution of Australian plants, of which the dampiera altissima is one.

Answers to Module 7 Questions

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Dampiera altissima

Dampiera altissima, most commonly known as the Tall Dampiera, is a flat perennial herb of the family Goodeniaceae native to Western Australia. Dampiera altissima is the tallest plant within its genus, dampiera.

Dampiera altissima is a short herb which generally grows to a maximum height of 0.5 m (19.7 in) and has flat, green-grey leaves. The leaves range from round or toothed and are between 8-60 mm (0.3 to 2.4 in) long. Dampiera altissima flowers during the winter and spring, unveiling small blue-purple flowers. The herb is a ground cover plant found growing on the sandplains, laterite and sandstone of the southwestern region of Western Australia, most common in the Geraldton area north of Perth.

The Government botanist of Victoria, Ferdinand von Mueller, collected the first recorded plant samples and George Bentham formally classified the plant in the Flora Australiensis. Dampiera altissima is not commonly cultivated for any purposes but can sometimes be used as an ornamental plant. Its conservational status is classified as “not threatened”.

Description

Dampiera altissima typically grows between 0.1 and 0.5 m (3.9 and 19.7 in) high. It features ribbed stems and decumbent leaves of generally 8 to 60 mm (0.3 to 2.4 in) in length and 3 to 18 mm (0.1 to 0.7 in) in width. The indumenta of the leaves are tomentose, stellate and greyish. The leaf margins vary between being smooth and round (entire) or toothed (serrate).

Floral buds grow during June and October. The petals (corolla) are blue or mauve and are usually 8 to 15 mm (0.3 to 0.6 in) in length. The corolla are ear-shaped (auriculate) and do not have spurs. Both the inside and outside of the corolla are hairy; the outside hairs are particularly dense. The flowers of dampiera altissima are notable by the cup at the tip of the style. Each style is 4 to 4.5 mm (0.15 to 0.18 in) long and is smooth. The anthers at the tips of filaments are connate. On the flowers of dampiera altissima, bracteoles are present and cover the outside of the bud in its early stages of flowering. The bracteoles are hairy and are 4.5 to 5.5 mm (0.18 to 0.22 in) in length. Dampiera altissima has epigynous flowers, with the ovary of each flower sitting below the petals. The plant has 1-2 ovules, which are upright. The calyx lobes, each 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) in length, are equally winged and have high density of hairs. The outer lobes are each 5.5 to 12 mm (0.22 to 0.5 in) in length and are unequally winged. The wings are 1.2 mm (0.05 in) wide on the narrower side of the outer lobe and 3 to 3.2 mm (0.12 to 0.13 in) wide on the broader side. The pedicels are generally 3 mm (0.12 in) in length and are hairy. There is one flower per floral axis.

Taxonomy

George Bentham, author of the Flora Australiensis

Dampiera altissima was first formally classified and described in George Bentham’s 1863-1878 work, Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory, which was written with the assistance of Ferdinand von Mueller. During Mueller’s appointment as the Government botanist of Victoria from 1853, he amassed a large collection of Australian flora, of which included dampiera altissima. Although Mueller was invited to Kew, England to pursue further education in taxonomy to begin work on Australian flora, he remained in England and instead, the work on Australian flora was instead assigned to Bentham. Mueller’s plant samples and notes were sent from Melbourne to Kew on loan for Bentham to write his Flora Australiensis. Due to Mueller’s provision of Australian flora samples and notes, the binomial name of dampiera altissima includes his botanical name, F.Muell, as well, as although Mueller was not the original classifier of the plant, he made significant contributions to its classification.

Etymology

William Dampier

The genus name, dampiera, is named after the British buccaneer turned naturalist, William Dampier (1651-1751). Dampier was one of the first Englishmen to have explored Australia and during his first expedition in 1688, he captured many of the first recorded descriptions and depictions of Australian flora and fauna. The genus, dampiera, containing 90 shrubs and herbs, is native only to Australia and can be found in all Australian states. The specific epithet, altissima, derives from the feminine form of the Latin adjective, altissimum, meaning “tallest”. This epithet refers to the fact that dampiera altissima is the tallest species of the dampiera genus, although all species of the dampiera genus are relatively short.

Distribution and habitat

Dampiera altissima grows in the South-West Botanical Province of Western Australia, mainly on the coastline of the Irwin Botanical District, which is situated around Geraldton, north of Perth. However, it has been observed growing as far as the Avon Botanical District, east of Perth.

The South-West Botanical Province is described as a mostly flat area, which is cold and wet during the winter months, and hot and dry during the summer months, during which rain can be absent for 5-6 months at a time. The flora of this region is described to be highly adaptable to heavy rain, fire and drought conditions. Of the plant species found in the South-West Botanical Province, 79% are native to the area; a percentage higher than other botanical provinces in Australia and comparable to the California Floristic Province.

Dampiera altissima grows in sandplains, sandstone or laterite stone. Although, it has been observed growing within the Karri Forest, which has limited ground cover, except for species of dampiera, which are common.

Cultivation

Dampiera altissima grows mostly during the winter and spring months of the Southern Hemisphere and usually flowers between June and October. The best cultivation conditions for the herb are in well-drained soil with frequent exposure to sunlight, light to moderate watering and occasional summer watering. However, dampiera altissima is highly adaptable and can survive in flood, drought and fire conditions.

Uses

Although not commonly cultivated for any particular uses, dampiera altissima can be used as an ornamental plant, due to its blue and mauve flowers. When it is used as an ornamental plant, it is suitable for pots and hanging plant baskets.