A long-term study compiled from field work on four continents over five decades has unearthed new species of kangaroo paws and related genera.
Professor Stephen Hopper, from The University of Western Australia's School of Biological Sciences, was lead author of the study published in the WA Herbarium's Nuytsia.
The study examined species of kangaroo paws, Haemodorum and Conostylis collected from 1973 to the present from Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Americas and South Africa.
"Haemodorum is of great cultural significance to Aboriginal people," Professor Hopper said.
"Several species in the South West region of Western Australia have edible bulbs and in the tropical north of Australia it is used for dyes in basketmaking."
Researchers documented the shape and size of the flowers and analysed the genetic data to determine the evolutionary relationships among the species.
The results determined two subfamilies: haemodoroideae, comprising of 10 genera and 51 species distributed across the global range of the family; and conostylidoideae, endemic to the Southwest Australian Floristic Region with six genera and 81 species.
Seven of the genera were recognised in Australia, seven in the Americas and five in South Africa including one that was new, Paradilatris.
Variation in flower patterns and the dimensions of some floral parts led researchers to discover new types including seven kangaroo paws (four species and three subspecies), eight Haemodorum and six Conostylis.
"The new species of kangaroo paw included four new species of red and green colouration found on the south coast of WA between Denmark and Cape Arid National Park," Professor Hopper said.
"This was surprising for such a well-known and studied group and highlighted how much more we have to learn about wildflowers in the South West region, which has 8,500 native species currently recorded and half of these are found nowhere else on Earth.
"This study provides a foundation to understanding biodiversity and evolution around the world."
