Pityrodia iphthima

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Pityrodia iphthima
Status DECF P1.svg
Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Pityrodia
Species:
P. iphthima
Binomial name
Pityrodia iphthima
Map.Pityrodia iphthima.jpg
Occurrence data from the ALA

Pityrodia iphthima is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a small area in Western Australia. It is a small shrub with its branches, leaves and some of its flower parts densely covered with matted hairs. It has spike-like groups of up to forty flowers on the ends of the branches, the flowers tube-shaped, deep lilac and white, with brown spots inside.

Contents

Description

Pityrodia iphthima is a shrub which grows to a height of about 1 m (3 ft) and which has its branches densely covered with matted, greenish-white branched hairs. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the branches and are 23–41 mm (0.9–2 in) long, 4–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide and narrow egg-shaped. They are folded lengthwise in a V-shape with the upper surface more or less glabrous and the lower surface covered with star-like hairs, similar to those on the branches. [2]

The flowers are arranged in spike-like groups 55–170 mm (2–7 in) long, of between ten and forty flowers on woolly stalks 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. There is a leaf-like, narrow egg-shaped bract 7–20 mm (0.3–0.8 in) long and narrow egg-shaped bracteoles 2–6.5 mm (0.08–0.3 in) long at the base of the flowers. The sepals are green with purplish tips, 7.5–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long joined at the base to form a tube 1–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) long with narrow egg-shaped lobes. The petals are a deep lilac colour, grading to white and form a broad tube 8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long with brown spots inside the tube. The petal lobes form two "lips", the upper one with two lobes and the lower one with three. The tube is sparsely hairy on the outside and mostly glabrous on the inside apart from a densely hairy ring around the ovary. The middle lobe of the lower lip is the largest, 5.3–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 6.5–10.5 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide. The four stamens are usually enclosed within the tube, one pair shorter than the others. Flowers have only been observed in August. [2]

This species is similar to P. augustensis but is distinguished by its relatively glabrous upper leaf surface and longer sepal tube. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Pityrodia iphthima was first formally described in 2007 by Kelly Shepherd from a specimen collected on the Robinson Ranges near Meekatharra and the description was published in Nuytsia . [1] [2] The specific epithet (iphthima) is derived from an Ancient Greek word meaning "strong", "stout" or "stalwart", [3] referring to the harsh, rocky habitat of this species. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This pityrodia grows on rocky hillsides of banded ironstone in the Gascoyne biogeographic region. [2] [4]

Conservation

Pityrodia iphthima is classified as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, [4] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pityrodia augustensis</i>

Pityrodia augustensis, commonly known as Mount Augustus foxglove, is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a small area in Western Australia. It is a small, bushy shrub with its branches, leaves and some of its flower parts densely covered with woolly hairs. It is similar to the lovely foxglove and the sandplain foxglove but has very different leaves from those species.

Dasymalla axillaris, commonly known as native foxglove or woolly foxglove, is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, diffuse shrub with its branches, leaves and some of its flower parts densely covered with white, woolly hairs. The flowers are a shade of red and tube-shaped with the stamens and style extending beyond the end of the five petals.

<i>Quoya atriplicina</i>

Quoya atriplicina, commonly known as saltbush foxglove, is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a bushy shrub with its branches and leaves densely covered with a layer of hairs, giving them a greyish appearance. The leaves are broad-elliptic to almost circular in shape and the tube-shaped flowers are pink with purple spots inside.

<i>Quoya oldfieldii</i>


Quoya oldfieldii, commonly known as Oldfield's foxglove, is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with its branches and leaves densely covered with a layer of brownish hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped and the tube-shaped flowers are pink with purple spots inside.

Dasymalla chorisepala is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is a small shrub with its branches and leaves densely covered with hairs. The leaves are stalkless, egg-shaped and covered with yellowish hairs while the flowers are small, tube-shaped and white.

Dasymalla teckiana is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, openly branched, sticky shrub with mauve and white, bugle-shaped flowers.

<i>Pityrodia loricata</i> Species of plant

Pityrodia loricata is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a dense, greyish, multi-stemmed shrub with whorled leaves, prominent sepals and pale, pinkish-white flowers. It is common in Western Australia and the Northern Territory and there is a single record from South Australia.

<i>Quoya cuneata</i>

Quoya cuneata is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with its branches and leaves covered with a layer of woolly, pale white or brownish hairs. The flowers are blue at first but become white with purple spots inside the petal tube.

<i>Pityrodia lepidota</i>

Pityrodia lepidota is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, densely-branched shrub with small leaves and whitish, bell-shaped flowers. The entire plant, apart from the petals, is densely covered with small, circular scales.

Muniria angustisepala is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the Northern Territory. It is an erect shrub with softly hairy, warty leaves and pale yellow, woolly flowers.

<i>Quoya dilatata</i>

Quoya dilatata is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with its branches and leaves densely covered with a layer of white, woolly hairs. The leaves are wrinkled or crinkly and the tube-shaped flowers are orange-red and hairy on the outside.

<i>Pityrodia chrysocalyx</i>

Pityrodia chrysocalyx is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with small, glossy leaves, and flowers with white petals and a golden-yellow calyx.

<i>Hemiphora exserta</i>

Hemiphora exserta is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sprawling shrub with its branches densely covered with white, woolly hairs. Its leaves are rough and wrinkled and the flowers are deep pink or dark red, curved and tube-shaped with spreading petal lobes on the end.

<i>Hemiphora lanata</i>

Hemiphora lanata is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sprawling shrub with its branches and leaves densely covered with white, woolly hairs and with deep pink or dark red, curved, tube-shaped flowers with spreading petal lobes on the end. It is similar to Hemiphora exserta except for its cottony leaf-covering and its longer stamens.

<i>Pityrodia gilruthiana</i>

Pityrodia gilruthiana is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. It is a dark green, spreading shrub with sticky, glandular branches and leaves and fragrant, off-white, bell-like flowers with purple stripes on the end.

<i>Pityrodia hemigenioides</i>

Pityrodia hemigenioides is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with densely hairy branches and leaves, and pale white flowers near the ends of the branches.

Quoya paniculata is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with its branches and leaves densely covered with a layer of woolly hairs. The flowers are usually arranged in small groups surrounded by woolly hairs and are bell-shaped and deep purple or deep lilac. It is similar to Dasymalla axillaris and D. terminalis but is distinguished from them by its wedge-shaped leaf ends and more northerly distribution.

<i>Pityrodia lanuginosa</i>

Pityrodia lanuginosa is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. It is a woolly, spreading shrub with its leaves arranged in four rows and off-white, bell-like flowers with dark purple streaks.

<i>Pityrodia obliqua</i>

Pityrodia obliqua is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy stems, wrinkled, egg-shaped leaves and pink, bell-like flowers with purple streaks inside.

<i>Prostanthera petrophila</i>

Prostanthera petrophila is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with densely hairy branches, narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and white flowers with violet striations in the petal tube.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pityrodia iphthima". APNI. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shepherd, Kelly Anne (2007). "Pityrodia iphthima (Lamiaceae), a new species endemic to banded ironstone in Western Australia, with notes on two informally recognised Pityrodia". Nuytsia. 17: 347–352.
  3. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 765.
  4. 1 2 "Pityrodia iphthima". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  5. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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