Callistemon phoeniceus

Callistemon phoeniceus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Callistemon
Species:	C. phoeniceus
Binomial name
Callistemon phoeniceus Lindl.[1]
Synonyms
Melaleuca phoenicea (Lindl.) Craven

Callistemon phoeniceus (Lesser Bottlebrush) is a shrub or small tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to Western Australia. It grows up to between 1 and 6 metres in height. Red flower spikes are produced between September and January in the species native range. It occurs on sandy soils, often beside streams.^[1]

The species was first formally described in 1839 by botanist John Lindley in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony as Callistemon phoeniceum, which was later revised to Callistemon phoeniceus. ^[2] In his 2006 paper New Combinations in Melaleuca for Australian Species of Callistemon (Myrtaceae), Lyndley Craven, a research botanist from the Australian National Herbarium proposed that this species should be renamed as Melaleuca phoenicea.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Callistemon phoeniceus". FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia. http://florabase.dec.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/5395. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Callistemon phoeniceus". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?TAXON_NAME=Callistemon+phoeniceus. Retrieved 2009-11-04.