Verticordias in the Narrogin District

Verticordia eriocephala at Yilliminning

Greetings fellow Foxies,
Delightful Verticordias or Featherflowers, flower in our local reserves from October to early November when peak flowering has passed. Local verticordias prefer sands and sandy gravels, commonly in kwongan sandplain.
The genus Verticordia (Myrtaceae family) comes from Latin meaning “turner of hearts”, which refers to Venus the Roman goddess of love, whose favourite plant was a myrtle. Early plant taxonomists were a romantic lot. 

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​Verticordias have delightful feathery petals and sepals that come in all colours except blue.
Some can be a bit confusing for non-specialists like me to identify as flowers in species like Verticordia hueglii below and Verticordia grandiflora change colour as they mature. 

Yellow flowers redden with age

Verticordia hueglii ssp. hueglii

Verticordia hueglii ssp. tridens

Good spots to see verticordias are

• Kwongan scrub about 500 metres past the turnoff to Yilliminning Rock on Birdwhistle Road. Wonderful display of pinkish white Verticordia eriocephala in a low slope on the west of the road.
• Harrismith Nature reserve. Several species in kwongan upland.
• The Kwongan Walk at Candy Block in October ( also other interesting kwongan wildflowers)
• Newman Block. Look for Verticordia acerosa and Verticordia grandiflora on the upland gravel part of the Orchid Walk. There is a lovely show of pink Verticordia densiflora on the white sand part of the Sandplain Walk in early November if there has been good spring rain.
• Stops 2 and 3 at Highbury Nature Reserve.

Verticordia eriocephala Yilliminning

Verticordia pennigera

Verticordia densiflora Newman Block

Verticordia serrata Candy Block

Verticordia acerosa Highbury

Verticordia grandiflora Newman Block