Conospermum croniniae



Conospermum croniniae is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with spreading cylindrical leaves and spikes of up to 6 pale blue or pink, tube-shaped, hairy flowers.

Description
Conospermum croniniae is an open shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 90 cm. It has spreading, cylindrical leaves 7–10 mm long, 0.3–0.5 mm wide on the stems and Δ-shaped flower leaves that are 4–9 mm long and 1–2 mm wide on the flowering spikes. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils in a spike of up to 6 on a woolly hairy peduncle 2.5–9 mm long. The bracteoles are egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 1.5–2.25 mm long and 2.0–3.2 mm wide, and hairy. The perianth is pale blue or pink, forming a tube 3.5–4.5 mm long. The upper lobe is 1.25–2.0 mm long and 1.5–1.75 mm wide, the lower lip joined for 0.5–0.75 mm long with lobes 0.6–0.75 mm long and 0.3–0.5 mm wide. Flowering occurs in May or in September and October and the fruit is a nut about 2 mm long and 2.25 mm wide with silky white hairs.

Taxonomy
Conospermum croniniae was first formally described in 1904 by Ludwig Diels in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae occidentalis. The specific epithet (croniniae) honours the plant collector, Mary Ann Cronin.

Distribution and habitat
This species of Conospermum grows in open to dense scrub on hill slopes and winter-wet flats between Pingelly, Lake King and Kondinin in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Esperance Plains and Mallee bioregions of south-western Western Australia.