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Isopogon ceratophyllus

species of plant

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 15, 2026
Entity authorityQ6086233 ↗
Source-derived summary

Isopogon ceratophyllus, commonly known as the horny cone-bush or wild Irishman, is a plant of the family Proteaceae that is endemic to the coast in Victoria, South Australia and on the Furneaux Group of islands in Tasmania. It is a small woody shrub that grows to 100 cm (40 in) high with prickly foliage. It is extremely sensitive to dieback from the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi

Description

Isopogon ceratophyllus is a prickly shrub, growing to 15–100 cm (6–40 in) tall and to 120 cm (4 ft) across. The oval to round flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear between July and January, and are around 3 cm in diameter.

Taxonomy

Isopogon ceratophyllus was first described by Robert Brown in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek words cerat- "horn" and phyllon "leaf", relating to the leaves' resemblance to antlers. In 1891, German botanist Otto Kuntze published Revisio Generum Plantarum, his response to what he perceived as a lack of method in existing nomenclatural practice. Because Isopogon was based on Isopogon anemonifolius, and that species had already been placed by Richard Salisbury in the segregate genus Atylus in 1807, Kuntze revived the latter genus on the grounds of priority, and made the new combination Atylus ceratophyllus for this species. However, Kuntze's revisionary program was not accepted by the majority of botanists. Ultimately, the genus Isopogon was nomenclaturally conserved over Atylus by the International Botanical Congress of 1905.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Isopogon ceratophyllus” is species of plant. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Isopogon, ceratophyllus and species, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1810, 1891, 1807, 1905—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Isopogon, ceratophyllus and species is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “species of plant” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6086233. The first chronological checks are 1810, 1891, 1807 and 1905.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

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  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Isopogon ceratophyllus”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Isopogon ceratophyllus primary sources, Isopogon ceratophyllus archive and Isopogon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Isopogon ceratophyllus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.