Sowerbaea laxifloraCommon name: Purple Tassels
Meaning of name: Sowerbaea honours James Sowerby (1752 – 1822), an English botanical artist. Laxiflora is from the Latin words laxus, meaning wide, loose or open, and floris, meaning flower.
Distribution: Occurs from Kalbarri to Denmark.
Description: The purple, or sometimes white, flowers are held up to 45 centimetres high above the tuft of leaves from August to November.
References: Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings, a Glossary. FA Sharr. 1996.
Flora of the Perth Region. NG Marchant, JR Wheeler, BL Rye, EM Bennett, NS Lander, TD Macfarlane. 1987.
Flowers are single, terminal, umbels.
A white form of Purple Tassels.
Large, yellow anthers are conspicuous and closely surround the style.
Sowerbaea laxiflora can form large drifts in its natural habitat.
