Commersonia prostrata

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Commersonia prostrata
Commersonia prostrata.jpg
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Commersonia
Species:
C. prostrata
Binomial name
Commersonia prostrata
Synonyms [1]

Rulingia prostrataMaiden & Betche

Fruit Commersonia prostrata fruit capsule.jpg
Fruit

Commersonia prostrata, commonly known as dwarf kerrawang, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to eastern continental Australia. It is a prostrate shrub with trailing branches, egg-shaped leaves, the lower surface densely covered with star-like hairs, white, petal-like sepals, and smaller, pinkish petals.

Contents

Description

Commersonia prostrata is a prostrate shrub that has branches up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) or more long, and forms dense mats up to 10 cm (3.9 in) high. The leaves are egg-shaped to heart-shaped, 2–35 mm (0.079–1.378 in) long and 1–32 mm (0.039–1.260 in) wide on a petiole 3–45 mm (0.12–1.77 in) long, with egg-shaped stipules 1–7 mm (0.039–0.276 in) long at the base. The edges of the leaves have irregular, rounded teeth, the upper surface of the leaves is glabrous and the lower surface densely covered with star-shaped hairs. The flowers are arranged opposite leaf axils, usually in groups of 3 to 12, the groups on a peduncle 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long. The flowers are up to 6 mm (0.24 in) in diameter and have five white, petal-like sepals 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.138 in) long and 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) wide, and five pink and cream-coloured petals with a narrow ligule about half as long as the sepals. There is a white, densely hairy staminode between each pair of stamens. Flowering occurs from September to November and the fruit is a bristly capsule 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) in diameter. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1898 by Joseph Maiden and Ernst Betche who gave it the name Rulingia prostrata in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from specimens Maiden collected near Barbers Creek, between Moss Vale and Goulburn in the same year. [5] [6] In 2011, Carolyn Wilkins and Barbara Whitlock transferred the species to the genus Commersonia as C. prostrata in the journal Australian Systematic Botany . [7] The specific epithet (prostrata) means "lying along the ground". [8]

Distribution and habitat

Dwarf kerrawang grows in open woodland and near the edge of forest and is known from populations on the Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, the largest population in the Thirlmere Lakes area, and in a few near-coastal areas of south-eastern Victoria. [2] [3] [4]

Conservation status

Commersonia prostrata is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 , the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the Victorian Government Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 . [2] [3] [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Commersonia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Commersonia is a genus of twenty-five species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. Plants in this genus are shrubs or trees, occurring from Indochina to Australia and have stems, leaves and flowers covered with star-like hairs. The leaves are simple, often with irregularly-toothed edges, the flowers bisexual with five sepals, five petals and five stamens and the fruit a capsule with five valves. The genus underwent a revision in 2011 and some species were separated from Commersonia, others were added from Rulingia.

Rulingia is a genus of flowering plants native to Australia and Madagascar. In 2011, all species were transferred to Commersonia with the exception of Rulingia cuneata, R. loxophylla, R. luteiflora and R. procumbens which have been transferred to the new genus Androcalva.

<i>Commersonia borealis</i> Species of flowering plant

Commersonia borealis is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a low growing, spreading shrub with egg-shaped to oblong leaves, and white, yellow and cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Commersonia hermanniifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Commersonia hermanniifolia, commonly known as wrinkled kerrawang, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a prostrate or trailing shrub with oblong to lance-shaped leaves that are paler on the lower surface, and flowers with five white sepals fading to pink and five pinkish petals.

<i>Commersonia amystia</i> Species of flowering plant

Commersonia amystia is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to eastern Australia. It is a dwarf shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves that are densely covered with star-like hairs on the lower surface, and has flowers with five white sepals that turn pink as they age, and five smaller white petals.

<i>Commersonia breviseta</i> Species of flowering plant

Commersonia breviseta is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to eastern Australia. It is a dwarf shrub with densely-hairy, egg-shaped to narrow elliptic leaves that are paler on the lower surface, and flowers with five white sepals with pink edges, five smaller pale yellow petals and dark red stamens.

<i>Commersonia craurophylla</i> Species of plant

Commersonia craurophylla, commonly known as brittle leaved rulingia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to southern continental Australia. It is a dense, spreading shrub with crinkled, narrowly oblong to linear leaves, and white to cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Commersonia corniculata</i> Species of plant

Commersonia corniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with 3-lobed, egg-shaped leaves, and white to cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Androcalva procumbens</i> Species of flowering plant

Androcalva procumbens is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to central New South Wales. It is a prostrate shrub covered with star-shaped hairs, and with slender, trailing stems, egg-shaped to narrowly egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaves with scalloped or lobed edges, and clusters of 4 to 10 white, pink and yellow flowers.

Commersonia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with hairy, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves, and white or cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Commersonia magniflora</i> Species of plant

Commersonia magniflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to Australia. It is an erect shrub with wrinkled, narrowly oblong to elliptic or egg-shaped leaves, and deep pink flowers.

Commersonia parviflora, commonly known as small flowered rulingia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a low, prostrate or dense shrub with wrinkled, egg-shaped leaves with rounded teeth on the edges, and clusters of small, white flowers.

Commersonia rotundifolia, commonly known as round-leaved rulingia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an upright, openly-branched shrub with elliptic to round leaves with wavy edges, and white flowers in clusters of 3 to 10.

<i>Commersonia rugosa</i> Species of plant

Commersonia rugosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to New South Wales. It is an open, straggly shrub with linear to narrowly egg-shaped leaves with irregular teeth or lobes on the edges, and white flowers in clusters of 3 to 15.

<i>Commersonia erythrogyna</i> Species of flowering plant

Commersonia erythrogyna, commonly known as Trigwell's rulingia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to a restricted part of the south-west of Western Australia. It is an open, straggly shrub with oblong to egg-shaped leaves and creamy-white flowers.

Commersonia gilva, commonly known as golden commersonia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with elliptic to oblong or egg-shaped leaves and yellow flowers.

<i>Androcalva crispa</i> Species of shrub

Androcalva crispa, commonly known as crisped leaf commersonia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate shrub that forms suckers from rhizomes and has densely new growth, clusters of lobed, egg-shaped or oblong leaves with wavy, serrated edges, and groups of white and pinkish-purple flowers.

Androcalva inglewoodensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Queensland. It is a spreading, prostrate shrub that has hairy young branchlets, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves with irregularly serrated edges, and small groups of white to cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Androcalva melanopetala</i> Species of shrub

Androcalva melanopetala is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to southern inland Western Australia. It is a sometimes prostrate shrub that has densely hairy new growth, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves with rounded teeth on the edges, and clusters of white or cream-coloured and pink to red flowers.

<i>Androcalva multiloba</i> Species of shrub

Androcalva multiloba is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. It is a dwarf shrub with densely hairy, irregularly serrated, egg-shaped leaves, and up to 5 white and red flowers arranged opposite leaf axils or on the ends of branches.

References

  1. 1 2 "Commersonia prostrata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Conn, Barry J.; Mccune, Seanna F. "Comersonia prostrata". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Short, Philip S.; Messina, Andre. "Commersonia prostrata". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  4. 1 2 Blake, Trevor L. (2021). Lantern bushes of Australia ; Thomasias & allied genera : a field and horticultural guide. Victoria: Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group. pp. 196–197. ISBN   9780646839301.
  5. ↑ "Rulingia prostrata". APNI. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  6. ↑ Maiden, Joseph; Betche, Ernst (1898). "Descriptions of four new species of New South Wales plants". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 23 (1): 18–19. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "Commersonia prostrata". APNI. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 284. ISBN   9780958034180.
  9. ↑ "Dwarf Kerrawang". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "SPRAT Profile Commersonia prostrata — Dwarf Kerrawang". Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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