Diocirea

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Diocirea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Tribe: Myoporeae
Genus: Diocirea
Chinnock [1]

Diocirea is a genus of flowering plants in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. The genus is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia and is intermediate in character between Eremophila and Myoporum . There are four members of the genus, all of which are small shrubs with stems and leaves which produce a resin making the plants appear bluish-green. Neither the genus, nor any of the species had been described before 2007 although a few specimens had been collected as Eremophila elachantha. Despite their limited distribution, they often occur in populations of several thousand individual plants, forming a dense ground cover.

Contents

Description

Plants in the genus Diocirea are small, multi-stemmed shrubs, rarely growing to a height of 1 metre (3 ft) with a spread of 1.5 metres (5 ft) . Their branches and leaves have many, sometimes raised glands, producing a resin which often gives the foliage a bluish-green tinge. Their leaves range in length from 1 millimetre (0.04 in) to 10 millimetres (0.4 in), lack serration on their margins and are usually glabrous. [2]

The flowers appear singly in the axils of the leaves, lack a stalk and have 5 green, egg-shaped, sepals and 5 petals. The petals are joined at their bases to form a bell-shaped tube, but unlike in Eremophila and Myoporum, the upper two are joined for nearly all of their length. Also unlike others in the family, the petal tube remains attached to the plant until the fruit is almost fully formed. The fruit is dry, crusty and oval or conical in shape and often hairy. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Diocirea was first formally described in 2007 by Robert J. (Bob) Chinnock in Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae and the first species he named was Diocirea violacea . [3] A few specimens of Diocirea had been collected prior to 2007 and labelled as Eremophila elachantha Diels , however the type specimen of this species was destroyed in Berlin. The genus name (Diocirea) is an anagram of "ericoid" in reference to the similarity of the habit of plants in this genus to those in Erica . [2]

The names of four species of Diocirea are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

Distribution

All four Diocirea species are only found in the Coolgardie and Mallee biogeographic regions . Although their distribution is restricted, they often grow in populations of thousands forming a dense ground cover sometimes to the exclusion of other species. [2] [8]

Conservation

Two species, Diocirea acutifolia and Diocirea microphylla , are classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian government Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that they are rare or near threatened. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eremophila abietina</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila abietina, also known as spotted poverty bush, is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a few arid areas of Western Australia. It is a stiff, upright, compact and very sticky shrub with distinctive, dark bluish-green leaves and pale coloured flowers spotted purple.

<i>Eremophila decipiens</i> Species of plant

Eremophila decipiens, commonly known as slender fuchsia bush or narrow-leaved fuchsia bush is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to an area extending from the south-west of Western Australia to southern parts of South Australia. It is low, sprawling shrub with lance-shaped leaves and red, orange or yellow flowers on a long, S-shaped stalk.

<i>Myoporum petiolatum</i> Species of plant

Myoporum petiolatum, commonly known as sticky boobialla, is a plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, and is endemic to the south-east of continental Australia. For many years this species has been confused with the much less common species Myoporum viscosum from which it can be distinguished by its thinner, noticeably petiolate and non-odorous leaves.

<i>Myoporum turbinatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Myoporum turbinatum, commonly known as salt myoporum, is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a small area near Esperance in Western Australia. It is closely related to Myoporum platycarpum but has much narrower leaves and differently shaped fruit. Its sticky branches and narrow, warty leaves are distinctive.

<i>Myoporum velutinum</i> Species of flowering plant

Myoporum velutinum is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a small area near Esperance in Western Australia. It has similar flowers and fruits and grows in similar environments to Myoporum tetrandrum but differs from it and all other members of the genus by having hairs on the outer edge of the petals.

Glycocystis beckeri is the only species of the flowering plant genus Glycocystis in the family Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It is a shrub, similar to others in the genera Eremophila and Myoporum but is unusual in that it produces very large amounts of sticky, sweet-smelling resin produced by raised glands which cover the entire plant, except for the petals. It has been suggested that the resin traps insects which the plant uses as a source of nitrogen.

Diocirea acutifolia is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a small area near Norseman in Western Australia. The branches and leaves produce sticky resin which sometimes covers the whole plant making it appear bluish grey. This species is distinguished from the three others in the genus by its leaves which are longer than 6 millimetres (0.2 in) and the prominent resin glands on its stems.

<i>Diocirea microphylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Diocirea microphylla is a plant in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae), and is endemic to a small area near Coolgardie in Western Australia. It is a low shrub with thin branches and minute leaves pressed against the stems. It is readily distinguished from the other three species in the genus by its tiny leaves.

Diocirea ternata is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a small area near Balladonia in Western Australia. It is a low shrub with a restricted distribution but which often occurs in large numbers, forming a dense ground cover. It is readily distinguished from the other three species in the genus by its unusual leaf arrangement.

Diocirea violacea is a plant in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae), and is endemic to a small area near Salmon Gums in Western Australia. It is a low shrub with a restricted distribution but which often occurs in large numbers, forming a dense ground cover. It can be distinguished from the three others in its genus by a combination of the size and arrangement of its leaves and the appearance of its fruits.

Eremophila aureivisca, also known as Rason poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south-east of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow, sticky, shiny leaves and pale purple flowers, known only from the edge of Lake Rason but may be more widely distributed in this remote area.

Eremophila conglomerata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to central areas of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with small, serrated leaves and mauve to blue flowers that extend well beyond the foliage.

Eremophila fallax is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a densely-foliaged shrub with leaves which have a hooked tip and with blue to violet flowers. It occurs in South Australia and Western Australia. Without flowers, this species closely resembles Eremophila deserti but that species has 5 stamens and its fruits are a different shape.

<i>Eremophila flabellata</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila flabellata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with serrated leaves, broad serrated sepals and pink, purple or mauve flowers.

<i>Eremophila glutinosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila glutinosa, commonly known as sticky emu bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, densely foliaged shrub with branches and leaves sticky and shiny due to the presence of resin. It has hairy sepals and lilac-coloured flowers.

<i>Eremophila phyllopoda</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila phyllopoda is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub, sometimes round or flat-topped with sticky, hairy leaves and flowers ranging in colour from pink or lilac to purple.

<i>Eremophila pungens</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila pungens is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is an erect, sticky shrub with broad, serrated-edged leaves which end in a sharp spine and purple or violet flowers.

<i>Eremophila spuria</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila spuria is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with narrow leaves and blue, lilac, purple or white flowers and is a common and widespread species.

Eremophila succinea is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, broom-shaped shrub with sticky, narrow, hooked leaves, narrow, sticky sepals and hairy, pale purple or mauve petals.

<i>Eremophila veneta</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila veneta, commonly known as metallic-flowered eremophila is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading, sticky shrub with dark green leaves and bluish-green petals.

References

  1. ↑ "Diocirea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 171–180. ISBN   9781877058165.
  3. ↑ "Diocirea". APNI. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "Diocirea acutifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "Diocirea microphylla". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Diocirea ternata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Diocirea violacea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. pp. 332–333. ISBN   0646402439.
  9. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
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