Stylidium adnatum, commonly known as the common beaked triggerplant,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Stylidiaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia.

Common beaked trigger plant
Stylidium adnatum in Kings Park, Perth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Stylidiaceae
Genus: Stylidium
Species:
S. adnatum
Binomial name
Stylidium adnatum
Synonyms[1]
  • Candollea adnata (R.Br.) F.Muell.
  • Candollea adnata var. abbreviata (Benth.) De Wild.
  • Candollea adnata (R.Br.) F.Muell. var. adnata
  • Stylidium adnatum var. abbreviatum Benth. nom. illeg., nom. superfl.
  • Stylidium adnatum R.Br. var. adnatum
  • Stylidium adnatum var. propinquum (R.Br.) R.Br.
  • Stylidium propinquum R.Br.

This species is leafy-stemmed and scrambling, growing up to 10 cm tall with leaves that are 3 cm long and 5 mm wide. It blooms in late winter and spring with small (3–4 mm wide) white flowers that bear red stripes.[3] S. adnatum is primarily found in jarrah and karri forests, among reeds of paperbark swamps, and in heath by streams entering the ocean.[4] S. adnatum is also commonly found in the wild, growing along cleared firebreaks in the Porongurup ranges, indicating that it is tolerant to ground disturbance. It has been cultivated by members of the W.A. Wildflower Society (a not-for-profit group) in Landsdale,[5] where it can be purchased by the public. It is easily propagated by cuttings and is robust in culture, although it can suffer from sucking insects such as scale. It has been found to grow well as an indoor potted plant near a well-lit window with indirect or partial sun. Taken together, these two pieces of information indicate that it would make a good commercial houseplant, possibly capturing the sector of the market fascinated by touch-stimulated plants such as venus fly traps or mimosa.

S adnatum in pot
Stylidium adnatum growing indoors in a pot.

Stylidium adnatum var. abbreviatum (Benth., 1868) is a variety of this species found in wild populations and is noted for its short and dense inflorescence. The variety was discovered and named twice, the second being S. adnatum var. propinquum (R.Br.), though this name is no longer used.[4][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Stylidium adnatum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Stylidium adnatum". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. ^ Darnowski, Douglas W. (2002). Triggerplants. Australia: Rosenberg Publishing.
  4. ^ a b Erickson, Rica. (1958). Triggerplants. Perth: Paterson Brokensha Pty. Ltd. 97-98.
  5. ^ "Northern Suburbs Branch – Wildflower Society of Western Australia". www.wildflowersocietywa.org.au. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  6. ^ FloraBase, the Western Australia Flora. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia. Accessed online on Nov. 30, 2006.