Conospermum nervosum Meisn.

Growth Habit

Conospermum nervosum Meisn. is a small, erect or spreading, multi-branched shrub.

It usually grows 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in) tall, and sometimes reaches a height of 1 m (3 ft 3 in).

Leaf Characteristics

Its leaves are oblong to egg-shaped, occasionally with the narrower end positioned toward the base, and measure 9 to 55 mm (0.35 to 2.17 in) long and 1.5 to 13 mm (0.059 to 0.512 in) wide.

Flower Color

The flowers are most commonly blue, and rarely pale pink.

Flower Arrangement

They are arranged in clustered head-like spikes that hold up to 20 flowers, and form a tube 2 to 3 mm (0.079 to 0.118 in) long.

Upper Flower Lip

The upper lip of the flower is elliptic, 3.0 to 3.5 mm (0.12 to 0.14 in) long and 1.5 to 2.0 mm (0.059 to 0.079 in) wide.

Lower Flower Lip

The lower lip is fused along 2.8 to 3.5 mm (0.11 to 0.14 in) of its length, and has narrowly D-shaped lobes that are 0.5 to 0.75 mm (0.020 to 0.030 in) long and about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) wide.

Flowering Period

Flowering occurs mainly from August to February.

Fruit Characteristics

The fruit is a hairy, cream-coloured nut that is about 2 mm (0.079 in) long and wide.

Habitat Locations

This species of Conospermum grows on hill slopes and sand plains along the west coast north of Perth, between the Hill River and Eneabba.

Bioregional Distribution

It occurs in the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain bioregions of south-western Western Australia, where it grows in sandy soils within kwongan vegetation.