Verticordia attenuata

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Verticordia attenuata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) native to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an upright shrub with a single main stem, growing about 0.8–1 m tall and 30–60 cm wide. It has small elliptic to narrow-egg-shaped leaves and pink to purple flowers that fade to white as they age. The flowers appear in spike-like clusters from December to April.

This plant typically grows in white to grey sands in areas that are wet in winter, often among grasses, in coastal areas between Bunbury and Busselton on the Swan Coastal Plain. It is an erect, open shrub with a top-shaped, warty floral cup and flowers arranged on short stalks.

Verticordia attenuata was first described by A. S. George in 1991. The name attenuata means thin or narrowed, referring to the petals. It is placed in subgenus Eperephes, section Verticordella, alongside several related species.

Conservation status: Priority Three—Poorly Known Taxa (DEC) by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. This means it is poorly known and known from only a few locations, but it is not currently considered under imminent threat.

In cultivation, V. attenuata is vigorous and attractive, suitable for large rockeries or containers. It is best propagated from cuttings and grows well in well-drained sandy or gravelly soils in full sun or partial shade. Mature plants are moderately frost hardy and drought tolerant.