Epacris rhombifolia

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Mountain coral heath
Epacris rhombifolia foliage and flowers.jpg
In Barrington Tops National Park
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Epacris
Species:
E. rhombifolia
Binomial name
Epacris rhombifolia
Synonyms [1]

Epacris microphylla var. rhombifolia L.R.Fraser & Vickery

Contents

Close-up of flowers Epacris rhombifolia flowers.jpg
Close-up of flowers

Epacris rhombifolia commonly known as mountain coral heath, [2] is a plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, multi-stemmed shrub with broad, rhombic leaves and white flowers with four petals, the flowers spreading down the branches. It only grows in wet, subalpine heath and is sometimes regarded as a variety of Epacris microphylla .

Description

Epacris rhombifolia is an erect shrub with several main stems and that typically grows to a height of up to 2 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Its young stems are reddish-brown and covered with short, soft, downy hairs when young. The leaves are rhombic, 2.0–4.5 mm (0.079–0.177 in) long and 1.5–3.5 mm (0.059–0.138 in) wide, more or less flat and overlapping each other when young. They are glabrous, have indistinct veins and a petiole 0.3–0.8 mm (0.012–0.031 in) long. The flowers are white, 3.8–5 mm (0.15–0.20 in) wide and arranged in leaf axils, spreading down the branches and have white petals forming a bell-shaped tube. The buds are surrounded by 16 to 20 white, egg-shaped bracts and white, egg-shaped sepals 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long and longer than the petal tube. The petal tube is about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, 1.5–2.0 mm (0.059–0.079 in) wide and the lobes are about 1.7 mm (0.067 in) long and do not overlap. Flowering occurs from December to March and the fruit that follows are capsules about 2 mm (0.079 in) long and wide. [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy and naming

Mountain coral heath was first formally described in 1810 by Lilian Fraser and Joyce Vickery, who gave it the name Epacris microphylla var. rhombifolia. The description was published in Journal and Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales . [6] [7] The variety was raised to species level in 2015 by Yvonne Menadue and Ron Crowden. [8] The specific epithet (rhombifolia) is derived from the Latin words rhombus meaning "an equilateral parallelogram with unequal pairs of angles" [9] : 263  and folium meaning "leaf". [9] : 466 

Distribution and habitat

Epacris rhombifolia grows in wet heath in subalpine areas of Lake Mountain, Mount Baw Baw and the ranges north of Licola in Victoria and in the Barrington Tops, Wingello and Oberon districts of New South Wales. [3] [4] [5]

Conservation status

This species of Epacris is listed as "endangered" under the Victorian Government Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 . [4]

Use in horticulture

Mountain coral heath has horticultural merit with its display of dainty flowers. It is suitable for a small, permanently moist, sheltered garden and can be grown in containers. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Epacris</i> Genus of flowering plants in the heath family Ericaceae

Epacris is a genus of about forty species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. It was formerly treated in a closely related but separate family Epacridaceae, but the various genera within Epacridaceae including Epacris have been revised in their relationships to each other and brought under the common umbrella of the Ericaceae. The genus Epacris is native to eastern and southeastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. The species are known as heaths or Australian heaths.

<i>Epacris glacialis</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris glacialis, commonly known as reddish bog-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a prostrate to low-lying shrub with crowded, rhombus-shaped to broadly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and tube-shaped, white flowers in small clusters near the ends of the branches.

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

Epacris microphylla , commonly known as coral heath, is a plant in the heath family Ericaceae and which is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a common, wiry shrub with tiny leaves that are often obscured by the flowers, especially near the ends of the stems. The plant sometimes grows in dense groups, giving the effect of a snowfall.

<i>Epacris pulchella</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris pulchella, commonly known as wallum heath or coral heath is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a slender, erect shrub with egg-shaped, pointed leaves and white or pinkish, tube-shaped flowers.

<i>Epacris obtusifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris obtusifolia, commonly known as blunt-leaf heath, is a species of flowering plant from the heath family, Ericaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with few stems, crowded, oblong to elliptic leaves and tube-shaped white or cream-coloured flowers arranged along the stems.

<i>Epacris muelleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris muelleri, commonly known as Mueller's heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is an erect, or weak straggling shrub with more or less glabrous branchlets, elliptic leaves and white or cream-coloured, tube-shaped flowers.

<i>Epacris gnidioides</i> Species of flowering plants

Epacris gnidioides, commonly known as Budawangs cliff-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a small, creeping shrub with hairy branches, sharply-pointed lance-shaped leaves, and tube-shaped, white flowers. Originally described as Rupicola gnidioides, it was at one time regarded as the only species in the genus Budawangia under the synonym Budawangia gnidioides.

<i>Epacris crassifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris crassifolia is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is a low-lying shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the lower end towards the base, and tube-shaped, white or cream-coloured flowers clustered near the ends of the branches.

<i>Epacris apiculata</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris apiculata is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is a small, slender, low-lying to erect shrub with hairy branchlets, egg-shaped leaves with a thickened, pointed tip and tube-shaped flowers with white petals.

Epacris apsleyensis is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a small area of Tasmania. It is an erect shrub with hairy branchlets, lance-shaped to elliptic leaves and tube-shaped flowers with white petals.

<i>Epacris celata</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris celata is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a spreading to erect shrub with flat, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and tube-shaped white flowers clustered in upper leaf axils.

Epacris grandis, commonly known as grand heath or tall heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a small area of Tasmania. It is a robust, erect shrub with smooth stems, lance-shaped leaves and tube-shaped flowers with white petals.

<i>Epacris graniticola</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris graniticola, commonly known as granite heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect shrub with egg-shaped leaves and tube-shaped white flowers mostly clustered near the ends of branches.

Epacris lithophila is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with few branches, lance-shaped to elliptic leaves and creamy-white, tube-shaped flowers.

<i>Epacris mucronulata</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris mucronulata is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect shrub with softly-hairy young branches, lance-shaped leaves, and cylindrical white flowers in small groups at the ends of the branches.

Epacris pilosa is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is low-lying shrub with weeping, shaggy-hairy branchlets, elliptic to more or less egg-shaped leaves and white or cream-coloured tube-shaped flowers.

Epacris pinoidea is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a small area of eastern New South Wales. It is an erect to semi-erect shrub with flat, oblong to elliptic or lance-shaped leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers.

<i>Epacris purpurascens</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris purpurascens is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with egg-shaped or heart-shaped, sharply-pointed leaves and white or pink, tube-shaped flowers.

Epacris rigida is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is an erect, bushy shrub with elliptic leaves and white or cream-coloured, tube-shaped flowers.

<i>Epacris tasmanica</i> Species of flowering plant

Epacris tasmanica is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect shrub with lance-shaped leaves and tube-shaped white flowers crowded in upper leaf axils.

References

  1. 1 2 "Epacris rhombifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Epacris microphylla var. rhombifolia". Yarra Ranges Shire Council. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 Brown, E. (1990). "Epacris rhombifolia (L.R.Fraser & Vickery) Crowden". Plantnet - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Walsh, Neville. "Epacris rhombifolia". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  5. 1 2 Menadue, Yvonne; Crowden, Ron (18 November 2015). "Change of status for Epacris microphylla R.Br. var. rhombifolia L.R.Fraser & Vickery (Ericaceae: Epacridoideae)". Telopea. 18: 451–453. doi: 10.7751/telopea9149 . Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Epacris microphylla var. rhombifolia". APNI. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  7. ↑ Fraser, Lilian R.; Vickery, Joyce W. (1937). "Notes on species in upper Williams River and Barrington Tops districts". Journal and Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 62: 290–291. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Epacris rhombifolia". APNI. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  9. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
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