Botany Photo of the Day

A new contributor today – thank you to Western Australian UnclePedro@Flickr for sharing a photograph with BPotD (original image via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool). It's always appreciated to get a blend of photographic styles.

The Haemodoraceae, or bloodroot family, is divided into two subfamilies: the Haemodoroideae are found in the tropical Americas (including se USA), southern Africa, parts of Australia and southeast Asian islands; the Conostylidoideae, to which today's species belongs, are exclusively found in the southwest of Australia. The eighty or so species within the Conostylidoideae contribute significantly to the nearly 3000 endemic species found within this biodiversity hotspot.

Conostylis setosa, or white cottonhead, has a limited range centred mostly around Perth, though this is not surprising given the endemic-to-southwest-Australia nature of the entire subfamily. Smoke and heat from fire is part of the southwestern Australia climatic regime, and both play a role in the germination of the seeds of this species; Conostylis setosa was the first Australian non-leguminous plant shown to require smoke- and heat-treatment for germination. Many plants have subsequently been shown to have similar requirements.

Botany resource link: Learn about a rare ecosystem, inland rainforests, via the Northern Wetbelt Forests of British Columbia web site. “The Northern Wetbelt of east-central British Columbia contains outstanding examples of globally rare ecosystems — inland temperate rainforests and subalpine forests located more than 500 km from the ocean.” Click on More -> Where to See for details about trails where you can visit these intriguing plant communities.