Anigozanthos
Anigozanthos is a genus of Southwest Australian plants of the bloodwort family Haemodoraceae.[1][2] 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 and cultivars have been developed for cultivation and floristry in recent years; kangaroo paws are much in demand as house plants and as cut flowers. The red-and-green kangaroo paw is the floral emblem of Western Australia.
The genus was first named by Jacques Labillardière, a French botanist, in his work, Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse, issued in 1800;[3] he collected and described the type species, Anigozanthos rufus, during the d'Entrecasteaux expedition's visit to Southwest Australia in 1792.[4] However, he does not provide a meaning for this name in his description. C.A. Gardener derived it from the Greek words ἄνισος ánisos "unequal"[5] and ἄνθος ánthos "flower"[6] according to La Billardiere's description of its collective petals as 'irregular' and 'in the form of a tube divided at its extremities into six unequal parts', he assumed the "g" was inserted for euphony.[2]
The common name 'kangaroo paw' was initially given to Anigozanthos manglesii and came to be used for other species of Anigozanthos as they became known. The origin of the name 'catspaw' is uncertain, but presumed to distinguish the compact size of the plant and flowers from others of the genus. Kangaroo paws refers to a grouping of species resembling A. manglesii, with elongated red and green (or green) flowers and greater overall size.[7]
These perennials are endemic to dry sandy, siliceous areas of southwest Australia, but they occur as well in a variety of other environments and soil types. They are grown commercially in Australia, the United States, Japan and Israel.
The plant grows from short, underground, horizontal rhizomes. The length and the character of these may vary between the species: some are fleshy, others are fragile. The sap in the root system allows the plants to survive extreme dry spells. In summer, a number of species die back to the rhizome, growing back in autumn.
