Pimelea stricta

Pimelea stricta
In the Sandy Creek Conservation Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Thymelaeaceae
Genus:	Pimelea
Species:	P. stricta
Binomial name
Pimelea stricta Meisn. [1]
Synonyms [1]
Banksia colorans(A.Cunn. ex Meisn.) Kuntze Banksia stricta(Meisn.) Kuntze Pimelea coloransA.Cunn. ex Meisn. Pimelea coloransA.Cunn. ex Meisn. var. colorans Pimelea strictaauct. non Meisn.: Curtis, W.M. (1967)

Pimelea stricta, commonly known as gaunt rice-flower, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrowly elliptic or linear leaves, and compact heads of densely hairy, creamy-white to yellow flowers surrounded by 4 egg-shaped involucral bracts.

Description

Pimelea stricta is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5–1.5 m (1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in) and has glabrous stems. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are narrowly elliptic or linear, 5–35 mm (0.20–1.38 in) long and 1.0–4.5 mm (0.039–0.177 in) wide on a short petiole. The flowers are bisexual and borne in compact clusters of many hairy, creamy-white to yellow flowers, surrounded by 4 egg-shaped involucral bracts 5–13 mm (0.20–0.51 in) and 3–9 mm (0.12–0.35 in) wide. The bracts are medium green, sometimes with a yellowish or reddish tinge. The floral tube is 7–12 mm (0.28–0.47 in) long, and the sepals are 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months with a peak between August and November. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Taxonomy

Pimelea stricta was first formally described in 1854 by Carl Meissner in the journal Linnaea from specimens collected in the Mount Lofty Ranges. ^[6] The specific epithet, (stricta) means "straight" or "upright". ^[7]

Distribution and habitat

Gaunt rice-flower mainly grows in open woodland, in mallee or on hills in sandy soils, and is found from north-eastern New South Wales through Victoria to the Eyre Peninsula and Flinders Ranges in south-eastern South Australia. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

References

1. "Pimelea stricta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
2. Rye, Barbara L. "Pimelea stricta". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
3. Harden, Gwen. "Pimelea stricta". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
4. "Pimelea stricta". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
5. Entwisle, Timothy J.; Walsh, Neville G. "Pimelea stricta". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
6. "Pimelea stricta". APNI. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
7. William T. Stearn (1992). Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary (4th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 506.