Dodonaea hexandra

Dodonaea hexandra
In Wanilla Land Settlement Conservation Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Sapindaceae
Genus:	Dodonaea
Species:	D. hexandra
Binomial name
Dodonaea hexandra F.Muell. [1]

Dodonaea hexandra, commonly known as horned hop bush, ^[2] is a species of plant in the family Sapindaceae and is native to scattered parts of Australia, mostly in the south of South Australia. It is a spreading, dioecious shrub with simple leaves, flowers arranged singly with six stamens, and spherical, three-angled capsules.

Description

Dodonaea hexandra is a spreading dioecious shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 60 cm (24 in). Its leaves are simple, sessile, mostly 4–14 mm (0.16–0.55 in) long and 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) wide. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils or on the ends of branches on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The three sepals are egg-shaped, 1.5–3.6 mm (0.059–0.142 in) long and there are six stamens about the same length as the sepals, the ovary glabrous. Flowering occurs from May to July, and the fruit is a glabrous, three-angled capsule 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long and 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) wide, the appendages often absent, or if present, lobe-like and crust-like, 0.5 mm (0.020 in) wide. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Taxonomy and naming

Dodonaea hexandra was first formally described in 1855 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants from specimens collected by Johann Friedrich Carl Wilhelmi near Port Lincoln. ^[5] The specific epithet (hexandra) means 'six stamens'. ^[6]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Dodonaea grows in mallee scrub dominated by tree species in the south of South Australia, the far south of Western Australia, and far north-western Victoria. ^{[2] [4]}

Conservation status

Dodonaea hexandra is listed as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, ^[3] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations where it is potentially at risk. ^[7]

References

1. "Dodonaea hexandra". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
2. West, Judith Gay; Busby, John R. "Dodonaea hexandra". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
3. "Dodonaea hexandra". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
4. "Dodonaea hexandra". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
5. "Dodonaea hexandra". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
6. George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 217. ISBN   9780958034180.
7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 4 October 2024.