Wikipedia:Today's featured article/July 26, 2013

Adenanthos cuneatus is a shrub of the Proteaceae family, native to the south coast of Western Australia. It was originally described by French naturalist Jacques Labillardière in 1805. It is most closely related to A. stictus and has hybridized with four other species of Adenanthos. Several common names have been recorded for this species, two alluding to its consumption by horses: Bridle Bush because horses favour it as fodder, and Sweat Bush from the claim that horses break out in sweat after consuming young growth. Growing to 2 m (7 ft) high and wide, it is erect to prostrate in habit, with wedge-shaped lobed leaves covered in fine silvery hair. The single red flowers are insignificant, and appear all year, though especially in late spring. The reddish new growth occurs over the summer. The shrub grows on sandy soils in heathland. Pollinators include honeyeaters, particularly Western Spinebills, Silvereyes, honey possums and bees. It is sensitive to Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback, and so requires a sandy soil and good drainage to grow in cultivation. A. cuneatus is grown in gardens in Australia and the western United States, and a dwarf and prostrate form are commercially available. (Full article...)

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