Lasiopetalum behrii

Pink velvet bush
Lasiopetalum behrii in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Lasiopetalum
Species:	L. behrii
Binomial name
Lasiopetalum behrii F.Muell. [1]

Habit in Venus Bay Conservation Park

Pink form

Lasiopetalum behrii, commonly known as the pink velvet bush, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to southern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with lance-shaped, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic leaves and groups of white to pink and reddish-brown flowers.

Description

Lasiopetalum behrii is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1.5 m (1 ft 0 in – 4 ft 11 in) high and has stiff lance-shaped, narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic leaves 20–90 mm (0.79–3.54 in) long and 5–30 mm (0.20–1.18 in) wide on a petiole 3–10 mm (0.12–0.39 in) long. The upper surface of the leaves is glabrous and the lower surface is densely covered with woolly, rust-coloured hairs. The flowers are arranged in groups of two to eight, each flower on a pedicel 3–10 mm (0.12–0.39 in) long with three hairy bracteoles 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long at the base of the sepals. The sepals are white to pink, 3.5–8.0 mm (0.14–0.31 in) long and densely hairy on the back and the five petals are dark reddish-brown and 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long. Flowering occurs from July to October and the fruit is a densely hairy capsule 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Taxonomy

Lasiopetalum behrii was first formally described in 1855 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants published in the Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria , from specimens collected "In the Mallee Scrub on the Murray River and St. Vincent's Gulf" by Hans Hermann Behr. ^{[6] [7]} The specific epithet (behrii) honours the collector of the type specimens. ^[8]

Distribution and habitat

Pink velvet bush grows in mallee, on sand dunes and on granite or limestone hills and occurs in the south of Western Australia, southern South Australia, the north-west of Victoria and the far south-west of New South Wales. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Conservation status

The species is listed as "critically endangered" in New South Wales under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threats to the species in New South Wales include its small population size and distribution, and grazing by livestock and feral goats. ^[9]

References

1. "Lasiopetalum behrii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
2. "Lasiopetalum behrii". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
3. "Lasiopetalum behrii". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
4. Stajsic, Val. "Lasiopetalum behrii". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
5. "Lasiopetalum behrii". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
6. "Lasiopetalum behrii". APNI. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
7. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1855). "Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants". Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria. 1: 36. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
8. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. pp. 144–145. ISBN   9780958034180.
9. "Pink Velvet Bush - profile". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 30 January 2022.