Archeria comberi | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Archeria |
Species: | A. comberi |
Binomial name | |
Archeria comberi Melville | |
Archeria comberi, also known as the pink mountain heath or comb heath, [1] is a small, rare shrub endemic to Tasmania, Australia. [2] As a member of the heath family, Ericaceae, this species is generally classified as a subalpine/ alpine species and shares many characteristics with other members of the family. It is an evergreen shrub 0.15m-1m in height, with pink flowers during the summer months (January and December), hence its common name pink mountain heath. [1] Archeria comberi is often found growing among other species such as Nothofagus gunnii and Persoonia gunnii.
Very similar to, and sometimes mistaken for, Epacris serpyllifolia , Archeria comberi has a number of key characteristics that enable its identification, especially the distinct pink, tubular flowers, with pink and yellow stigma and stamen, and fused sepals. These flowers are situated on a short stalk close to the end of each flowering branch. [1] When not in flower, this species is characterised by: woody branches and branchlets with scattered hairs, rounded woody capsules with a star like opening during dispersal, small(~ 3–4 mm), waxy, round with a pointed tip, green and often red leaves arranged in whorls around the stem. With usually 3 faint almost parallel veins, each leaf generally has a light green abaxial surface, predominantly green, sometimes red adaxial surface and a red edge. This red colouration is a common characteristic of subalpine and alpine species caused by an increase of anthocyanin to absorb ultraviolet light and converting UV into heat energy, warming the plant earlier in the growing season. [3]
Endemic to Tasmania and found predominantly in Western Tasmania and the Central Plateau, this species is found in seven municipalities across Tasmania: Central Highlands, Derwent Valley, Huon Valley, Kentish, Meander Valley, and the West Coast. [1] Although preferring a somewhat sheltered position Archeria comberi is a primarily alpine species and is subject to dramatically different weather conditions, including hot dry summers and cold, often snowy winter. Hence displays a tolerance to shade, wind, moist soils and frost. [1] Favouring fertile loam soils that are low in phosphorus, and well drained the species is common is environments such as subalpine woodlands, montane vegetation, subalpine sedgelands, and subalpine wetlands, [1] one example of this is the tarns situated in Mt Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia.
The Tasmanian temperate rain forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in western Tasmania. The ecoregion is part of the Australasian realm, which includes Tasmania and Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and adjacent islands.
Nothofagus cunninghamii, commonly known as myrtle beech or Tasmanian myrtle, is the dominant species of cool temperate rainforests in Tasmania and Southern Victoria. It has low fire resistance and grows best in partial shade conditions.
Nothofagus gunnii, the tanglefoot or deciduous beech, is a deciduous shrub or small tree endemic to the highlands of Tasmania, Australia. It was described in 1847 by R.C Gunn N. gunnii is a small woody tree with a shrubby appearance known to grow up to 8 metres (26 ft). It lives only on mountains due to temperature limitations within the Tasmanian maritime climate and mainly grows at altitudes greater than 800 metres (2,600 ft) above sea level. It grows in alpine and sub-alpine regions in the central portions of the island. Though capable of reaching the size of a small tree, it is most common as a thick shrub or woody ground cover, hence its common name of "tanglefoot".
Athrotaxis cupressoides, is also known as pencil pine, despite being a species of the family Cupressaceae, and not a member of the pine family. Found either as an erect shrub or as a tree, this species is endemic to Tasmania, Australia. Trees can live for upwards of 1000 years, sustaining a very slow growth rate of approximately 12 mm in diameter per year.
Eucalyptus coccifera, commonly known as the Tasmanian snow gum, is a small to medium-sized tree endemic to Tasmania. It has smooth, grey and cream-coloured bark, elliptic to lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between three and nine, usually white flowers and conical, hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit.
Gaultheria hispida, commonly known as the copperleaf snowberry, is an endemic eudicot of Tasmania, Australia. It is an erect multi-branched shrub, that can be found in wet forests and alpine woodlands. Its berries appear snowy white and leaves are tipped with a copper tinge, hence the common name.
Archeria is a small genus of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. As currently circumscribed the group includes six species, all native to southern Australasia. Four of these are endemic to Tasmania, and the other two endemic to New Zealand.
Telopea truncata, commonly known as the Tasmanian waratah, is a plant in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to Tasmania where it is found on moist acidic soils at altitudes of 600 to 1200 m (2000–4000 ft). Telopea truncata is a component of alpine eucalypt forest, rainforest and scrub communities. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to a height of 3 metres (10 ft), or occasionally as a small tree to 10 m (35 ft) high, with red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appearing over the Tasmanian summer and bearing 10 to 35 individual flowers. Yellow-flowered forms are occasionally seen, but do not form a population distinct from the rest of the species.
Persoonia gunnii is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect shrub with young branchlets that are hairy at first, spatula-shaped to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and white to cream-coloured flowers.
Persoonia muelleri, commonly known as Mueller’s geebung, is a shrub endemic to Tasmania. It forms a shrub in open areas of wet forests in the west and northeast of the state. It is occasionally confused with P. gunnii though it has larger flowers and longer, straighter leaves.
Orites revolutus , also known as narrow-leaf orites, is a Tasmanian endemic plant species in the family Proteaceae. Scottish botanist Robert Brown formally described the species in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London in 1810 from a specimen collected at Lake St Clair. Abundant in alpine and subalpine heath, it is a small to medium shrub 0.5 to 1.5 m tall, with relatively small, blunt leaves with strongly revolute margins. The white flowers grow on terminal spikes during summer. Being proteaceaous, O. revolutus is likely to provide a substantial food source for nectivorous animal species within its range.
Cyathodes glauca, the purple cheeseberry, is a woody shrub or small tree common in Tasmania, Australia. It belongs to the 'heath' family, Ericaceae. 'Heath' refers to open, shrub-like communities which survive on well-drained and poor quality soils.
Agastachys odorata, commonly known as the white waratah or fragrant candlebush, is the sole member of the genus Agastachys in the protea family. It is an evergreen shrub to small tree and is endemic to the heaths and button grass sedgelands of western Tasmania.
Cenarrhenes is a monytypic genus in the family Proteaceae containing the single species Cenarrhenes nitida, known as the Port Arthur plum or native plum. Cenarrhenes nitida is an evergreen shrub to small tree endemic to the rainforests and scrublands of western Tasmania. It bears white flowers in late spring followed by the development of fleshy fruit.
Alpine vegetation refers to the zone of vegetation between the altitudinal limit for tree growth and the nival zone. Alpine zones in Tasmania can be difficult to classify owing to Tasmania's maritime climate limiting snow lie to short periods and the presence of a tree line that is not clearly defined.
Prionotes is a genus of flowering plants endemic to Tasmania, with a single species, Prionotes cerinthoides. Commonly known as climbing heath, it is a temperate rainforest climber or a small scrambling shrub in the mountains. It usually lives in very wet, undisturbed places.
Trochocarpa thymifolia is a species of flowering plant from the family Ericacae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a widespread alpine and subalpine shrub with small leaves, pink to red flowers and blue to purple fruit. Originally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1810, it is a widespread Tasmanian endemic that inhabits the state's mountain regions.
Trochocarpa cunninghamii is a flowering plant species of the family Ericaceae. It is commonly referred to as straggling purpleberry due to its round flattened mauve drupe fruits. This woody shrub is usually found in the understorey of rainforests and subalpine forests in the Central Plateau and western Tasmania, and is endemic to Tasmania.
Ozothamnus rodwayi, commonly known as alpine everlastingbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia. It is a widespread small, dense alpine shrub abundantly found in alpine and high subalpine heaths and woodlands.
Monotoca submutica, commonly known as mountain broomheath, is an endemic heath family shrub in the Epacridaceae family and is one of 17 species in the genus Monotoca. It is a widespread and locally common small to tall woody dense shrub found in the alpine/subalpine woodlands of southern and western mountains of Tasmania, Australia.