Leucopogon alternifolius

Last updated

Leucopogon alternifolius
Status DECF P3.svg
Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Leucopogon
Species:
L. alternifolius
Binomial name
Leucopogon alternifolius
Leucopogon alternifoliusDistA5.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]

Styphelia alternifolia(R.Br.) Spreng.

Leucopogon alternifolius is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south of Western Australia. It is a low, sprawling shrub with thin branchlets, egg-shaped leaves with a heart-shaped, stem-clasping base, and white or pale pink flowers arranged in up to twenty groups along the flowering branchlets.

Contents

Description

Leucopogon alternifolius is a sprawling shrub that typically grows to 40 cm (16 in) high and wide, with a single stem at the base, its young branchlets thin and glabrous. The leaves are egg-shaped, 2.3–6.1 mm (0.091–0.240 in) long and 1.8–5.2 mm (0.071–0.205 in) wide on a petiole up to 0.3 mm (0.012 in) long. The leaves are usually concave, the base heart-shaped and stem-clasping and the lower surface a paler shade of green. The flowers are arranged in groups of three to eleven at the ends of branchlets, or in up to twenty leaf axils along flowering branchlets, with egg-shaped bracts 0.7–0.9 mm (0.028–0.035 in) long and slightly shorter bracteoles. The sepals are egg-shaped, 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long and often tinged with purple. The petals are joined at the base to form a bell-shaped tube shorter than the sepals, the lobes white or pale pink and 1.0–1.4 mm (0.039–0.055 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to December and the fruit is a flattened, more or less circular drupe 0.9–1.2 mm (0.035–0.047 in) long. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Leucopogon alternifolius was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae . [4] [5] The specific epithet (alternifolius) means "alternate-leaved". [6]

Distribution and habitat

This leucopogon mainly grows in heath sometimes woodland, near swamps between Albany and Walole in the Jarrah Forest and Warren biogeographic regions of southern Western Australia. [2] [3]

Conservation status

Leucopogon alternifolius is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [3] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Leucopogon juniperinus</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon juniperinus, commonly known as prickly beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect, densely-branched shrub with oblong to more or less egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged singly in upper leaf axils.

<i>Leucopogon rubricaulis</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon rubricaulis is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with narrowly egg-shaped or narrowly elliptic leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged on the ends of branches and in upper leaf axils in groups of four to thirteen.

<i>Leucopogon obovatus</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon obovatus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy young branchlets, variably-shaped, simple leaves, and erect clusters of 3 to 15 white, bell-shaped flowers on the ends of branches and in upper leaf axils.

<i>Leucopogon esquamatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Leucopogon esquamatus, commonly known as the swamp beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender shrub with mainly elliptic leaves, and short-lived white, tube-shaped flowers arranged singly or in pairs in upper leaf axils.

<i>Leucopogon gracilis</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon gracilis is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a spindly shrub with wiry branchlets, linear to lance-shaped leaves, and dense spikes of white or pinkish flowers.

<i>Leucopogon muticus</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon muticus, commonly knwon as blunt beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, straggling shrub with egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and small numbers of white, tube-shaped flowers that are densely bearded inside.

<i>Leucopogon acuminatus</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon acuminatus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the Northern Territory. It is a compact, erect shrub with narrowly elliptic or lance-shaped leaves and small groups of white or cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Leucopogon australis</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon australis, commonly known as spiked beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is an erect, aromatic shrub with narrowly egg-shaped to narrowly elliptic leaves, and white flowers arranged in spikes near the ends of branchlets.

<i>Leucopogon collinus</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon collinus, commonly known as fringed beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender, erect or spreading shrub with narrowly lance-shaped leaves, and white, tube-shaped, bearded flowers.

<i>Leucopogon cuspidatus</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon cuspidatus is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the central Queensland coast. It is a shrub with densely hairy young branchlets, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and white, bell-shaped flowers that are bearded inside.

<i>Leucopogon deformis</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon deformis is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern coastal Australia. It is a bushy shrub with narrowly egg-shaped leaves, and white, tube-shaped flowers.

<i>Leucopogon glabellus</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon glabellus is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, glabrous shrub with slender branchlets, heart-shaped to lance-shaped leaves, and cylindrical spikes of white flowers.

<i>Leucopogon interruptus</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon interruptus is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a spreading, glabrous shrub with oval to oblong leaves crowded at the ends of branches, and many small, white, tube-shaped flowers that are bearded inside.

<i>Leucopogon margarodes</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon margarodes is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas of eastern Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and small numbers of white, tube-shaped flowers usually arranged singly or in pairs in upper leaf axils.

<i>Leucopogon polystachyus</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon polystachyus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a slender, erect, usually glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.4–2 m. Its leaves are linear to lance-shaped, 8.5–17 mm (0.33–0.67 in) long with a rigid, sharply-pointed tip on the end. The flowers are borne on the ends of branches or in leaf axils in short, dense spikes with small, egg-shaped bracts and bracteoles about half as long as the sepals. The sepals are about 3.2 mm (0.13 in) long and often pale pink, and the petals are white, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and joined at the base, forming a tube, the petal lobes longer than the petal tube.

<i>Leucopogon reflexus</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon reflexus, commonly known as heart-leaf beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with small, usually downturned leaves and short, dense spikes of tube-shaped, white flowers.

<i>Leucopogon rotundifolius</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon rotundifolius is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with round or egg-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged in leaf axils in groups of 2 or 3.

<i>Leucopogon tamariscinus</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon tamariscinus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged in dense spikes on the ends of branches.

<i>Leucopogon virgatus</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon virgatus, commonly known as common beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect to low-lying shrub with linear to narrowly lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves, and erect clusters of three to seven white, tube-shaped flowers on the ends of branches and in upper leaf axils.

<i>Leucopogon wheelerae</i> Species of plant

Leucopogon wheelerae is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the far south-west of Western Australia. It is a sprawling shrub with slender, glabrous young branchlets, more or less erect, egg-shaped or broadly egg-shaped leaves, and white, broadly bell-shaped flowers with white or pale pink lobes.

References

  1. 1 2 "Leucopogon alternifolius". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 Hislop, Michael C. (2008). "Three new species of Leucopogon (Ericaceae: Styphelioideae: Styphelieae) from the far south-west of Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 18: 62–64. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Leucopogon alternifolius". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. ↑ "Leucopogon alternifolius". APNI. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. London. pp. 543–544. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  6. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 130. ISBN   9780958034180.
  7. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.