Anigozanthos onycis

Description

Anigozanthos onycis, the branched catspaw, is a rarely seen plant found in Southwest Australia. A species of Anigozanthus, the kangaroo paws and catspaws, which have single leaves emerging from a rhizome and tubular flowers presented on a scape. The leaves of this species are broadly keel-shaped on profile, their length is around 50 to 500 mm long. The color of the flowers is creamy to slightly reddish, these are presented in racemes on branched scapes that are 150 to 300 mm tall. The flowering season is September to October, earlier than most Anigozanthus species. They are periodically abundant in open woodlands cleared by fire, providing a conspicuous display of flowers against a blackened landscape. Anigozanthos onycis emerges after summer fires, growing and setting seed in the first year and losing vigour in the second if the plant survives at all. This short lifespan only allows the size of the plant to reach around 200 mm in width, presenting fewer leaves than others of the genus. The reproductive strategy within its fire prone habitat is as a seeder, relying on a seedbank that is triggered by fire rather than resprouting from their rhizome. The sole pollinator is the tawny-crowned honeyeater (Gliciphila melanops), a nectar feeder that has specialised in the same habitat. The branched catspaw is allied to Anigozanthos humilis and A. preissii.The common catspaw, Anigozanthos humilis subsp. humilis, has a similar appearance and naturally hybridises with this species. A widely grown cultivar named Anigozanthos 'Dwarf Delight' was developed by hybridising A. onycis with the kangaroo paw A. flavidus. Anigozanthos is a genus of Southwest Australian plants of the bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. The 11 species and their subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw or catspaw, depending on their size, and the shape and color of their flowers. A further species, previously identified as Anigozanthos fuliginosus (black kangaroo paw), was separated to a monotypic genus as Macropidia fuliginosa. The species are recognised by their unusual flowers, numerous hybrids have been developed for cultivation and floristry. The red-and-green kangaroo paw is the floral emblem of Western Australia.