Verticordia sect. Catocalypta

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Verticordia sect. Catocalypta

Verticordia sect. Catocalypta is one of eleven sections in the subgenus Verticordia. It contains seven species of Verticordia. Plants in this section are small, bushy shrubs up to about 1 meter tall, with thick, fleshy leaves that are triangular in cross-section. Their flowers appear in open, corymb-like heads and are relatively large. A distinctive feature is the sepals, which have down-turned tufts of hair surrounding the floral cup.

Taxonomy and name:
- In 1843, Johannes Conrad Schauer described Verticordia subg. Catocalypta and published it in Monographia Myrtacearum Xerocarpicarum.
- In 1856, Carl Meissner moved the subgenus to a section within Verticordia.
- The name Catocalypta comes from Greek words kato meaning "down below" and kalyptos meaning "covered," likely referring to the hairy tufts around the floral cup.
- In 1991, Alex George retained Meissner’s arrangement.

Type and other species:
- Type species: Verticordia insignis
- Other species: V. roei, V. inclusa, V. apecta, V. habrantha, V. lehmannii, and V. pritzelii.