Diocirea ternata

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Diocirea ternata
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Diocirea
Species:
D. ternata
Binomial name
Diocirea ternata

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.

Contents

Description

Diocirea ternata is a shrub with many stems and which sometimes grows to a height of 0.8 metres (3 ft) and spreads to a width of 1.7 metres (6 ft). Its branches have many raised resin glands and the leaves are arranged in rings of three around the stems. The leaves are mostly 2.9–4.5 millimetres (0.1–0.2 in) long, about 1–2 millimetres (0.04–0.08 in) wide, egg-shaped tapering to a point and sticky due to the presence of resin. [2]

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils and lack a stalk. There are 5 egg-shaped, pointed green sepals with hairs on their edges. The petals are white, sometimes pale violet at first, and are joined to form a tube 2.5–3.0 millimetres (0.098–0.12 in) long with lobes which are about 1.5 millimetres (0.06 in) long. The lobes are spotted purple near the centre of the flower and the tube is mostly glabrous except for a few hairs on the lower lobe. There are 4 stamens which extend slightly beyond the petal tube. The fruit that follows flowering is a flattened oval shape, 2 by 1 millimetre (0.08 in × 0.04 in) with a crusty brown covering. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Diocirea ternata was first formally described by taxonomist Bob Chinnock in Eremophila and allied genera: a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae in 2007 [1] [2] from a specimen collected 70 kilometres (40 mi) west of Balladonia. The specific epithet is derived from "Latin ternata, in threes; referring to the whorled leaves". [2]

Distribution and habitat

Diocirea ternata has a restricted distribution in a small area near Balladonia in the Coolgardie biogeographic region where it grows in woodland on clay loam. [3] [4] Although the distribution is limited, in some places there is an almost continuous ground cover with thousands of individual plants. [2]

Conservation

Diocirea ternata has been classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [3]

Related Research Articles

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Eremophila fraseri, commonly known as burra or jilarnu, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with all above-ground parts of the plant, apart from the petals, sticky and shiny due to the presence of a large amount of resin. The petals are coloured white, cream, pink and brown.

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.

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Eremophila papillata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with sticky, narrow leaves and mauve, blue or purple, rarely white flowers.

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

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

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Eremophila prolata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with a rounded top, prominently ridged, hairy branches, narrow leaves and white to deep lilac-coloured flowers.

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.

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Eremophila viscimarginata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, erect, prickly shrub with hairy stems, small leaves, greenish-pink sepals and mauve petals.

<i>Eremophila pterocarpa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> acicularis</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

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References

  1. 1 2 "Diocerea ternata". APNI. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 176–178. ISBN   9781877058165.
  3. 1 2 "Diocirea ternata Chinnock". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  4. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 332. ISBN   0646402439.