Spyridium lawrencei

Last updated

Spyridium lawrencei
Spyridium lawrencei flowers.jpg
Flowers and leaves in the ANBG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rhamnaceae
Genus: Spyridium
Species:
S. lawrencei
Binomial name
Spyridium lawrencei
Habit in the Australian National Botanic Gardens Spyridium lawrencei habit.jpg
Habit in the Australian National Botanic Gardens

Spyridium lawrencei, commonly known as small-leaf spyridium or small-leaf dustymiller, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect, compact or straggling shrub with small, leathery, round to heart-shaped leaves, and dense heads of hairy, cream-coloured flowers.

Contents

Description

Spyridium lawrencei is a woody shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1.0–1.5 m (3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 11 in) and has many wiry branches. The leaves are thick, leathery, heart-shaped or more or less round and 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long with the edges curved downwards. The upper surface of the leaves is more or less glabrous and the lower surface is densely hairy. The heads or "flowers" are arranged on the ends of branchlets, surrounded by whitish, velvety floral leaves, the individual flowers cream-coloured, about 2 mm (0.079 in) wide with densely hairy bracts and sepals. Flowering occurs from late November to April, with a peak in February. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1855 by Joseph Dalton Hooker who gave it the name Cryptandra lawrencei in The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery ships Erebus and Terror from specimens collected by Ronald Campbell Gunn. [5] [6] In 1863, George Bentham changed the name to Spyridium lawrencei in Flora Australiensis . [7] The specific epithet (lawrencei) honours Robert William Lawrence who discovered the species. [6]

Distribution and habitat

Spyridium lawrencei grows in the zone between riversides and woodland or forest on the central east coast and eastern midlands of Tasmania, mainly near to Swan, Apsley and St Paul Rivers. [2]

Conservation status

This species of spyridium is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Tasmanian Government Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 . The main threats to the species include changes in fire regimes, grazing and weed invasion, especially by gorse ( Ulex europaeus ). [2] [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Phebalium daviesii</i> Species of shrub

Phebalium daviesii, commonly known as St Helens wax flower or Davies' wax flower, is a species of shrub that is endemic to a restricted area in Tasmania. It is more or less covered with silvery or rust-coloured scales and has narrow wedge-shaped leaves with a notched tip, and umbels of white to cream-coloured, five-petalled flowers.

<i>Spyridium vexilliferum</i> Species of plant

Spyridium vexilliferum, commonly known as winged spyridium, or helicopter bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a small, low-lying to erect shrub with linear to narrowly elliptic leaves, and dense heads of small white flowers.

<i>Richea pandanifolia</i> Species of tree

Richea pandanifolia, the pandani or giant grass tree, is a distinctive endemic Tasmanian angiosperm. It is dicot of the family Ericaceae and is found in central, western and south west Tasmania. It is a favourite among hikers and nature lovers.

<i>Eucalyptus nitida</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus nitida, commonly known as the Smithton peppermint, is a species of tree or mallee that is endemic to Tasmania. It has varying amounts of loose, fibrous or flaky bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of nine to fifteen, white flowers and cup-shaped to hemispherical fruit.

<i>Bossiaea cordigera</i> Species of legume

Bossiaea cordigera , commonly known as wiry bossiaea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is a straggling shrub with wiry branches, egg-shaped to more or less heart-shaped leaves and yellow and red flowers.

<i>Archeria serpyllifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Archeria serpyllifolia is a dense, compact, low growing shrub, that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia, inhabiting the undisturbed alpine areas of southern and south-west Tasmania. This plant is commonly referred to by Australasian naturalists as thyme archeria.

<i>Boronia gunnii</i> Species of flowering plant

Boronia gunnii, commonly known as Gunn's boronia or Cataract Gorge boronia is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect shrub with compound leaves and pink or white, four-petalled flowers.

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

Epacris corymbiflora is a species of flowering plant in the heath family, Ericaceae, and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a low, spreading shrub with elliptic leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers.

<i>Epacris petrophila</i> Species of plant

Epacris petrophila, commonly known as snow heath, is a species of flowering plant from the heath family, Ericaceae, and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect, bushy, sometimes low-lying shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic leaves and tube-shaped white flowers in small clusters on the ends of branches.

<i>Helichrysum pumilum</i> Species of flowering plant

Helichrysum pumilum, commonly known as dwarf everlasting, is a rosette herb from the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to Tasmania, where it is commonly found in the West and Southwest of the island state. It is distinctive by its inflorescence, with the flower stalk being densely matted in fine white hairs and the daisy-like flower head having numerous pink or white ray floret-like bracts.

<i>Pultenaea humilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Pultenaea humilis, commonly known as dwarf bush-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a spreading, often low-lying shrub with branches that are hairy when young, elliptic to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and yellow to orange and red flowers.

<i>Pultenaea prostrata</i> Species of plant

Pultenaea prostrata, commonly known as silky bush-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a small, rigid, wiry, low-lying or prostrate shrub with cylindrical leaves, and yellow, red and purple-brown flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lasiopetalum micranthum</span> Species of shrub

Lasiopetalum membranaceum is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to a small region of eastern Tasmania. It is a low, spreading shrub with thin, rusty-hairy branches, narrow oblong leaves and drooping, star-shaped red to greyish-pink or white flowers.

<i>Spyridium cordatum</i> Species of shrub

Spyridium cordatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate, straggling or ascending shrub with leathery, broadly heart-shaped leaves with a notched tip, 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long with woolly, white or rust-coloured hairs on the lower side. The heads of flowers are 6.5–8.5 mm (0.26–0.33 in) wide with two to four floral leaves at the base. The sepals are up to 1.6 mm (0.063 in) long the petal tube shaggy-hairy with more or less glabrous lobes.

<i>Cryptandra alpina</i> Species of flowering plant

Cryptandra alpina, commonly known as alpine pearlflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small, prostrate shrub with slender branches, linear leaves, and tube-shaped white flowers arranged singly on the ends of branches.

<i>Spyridium obcordatum</i> Species of shrub

Spyridium obcordatum, commonly known as creeping spyridium or creeping dustymiller, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a prostrate shrub with heart-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, and clusters of hairy, white flowers.

<i>Spyridium ulicinum</i> Species of shrub

Spyridium ulicinum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a tall shrub with linear to oblong leaves, and single or small groups of white flowers.

<i>Stenanthemum pimeleoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Stenanthemum pimeleoides, commonly known as spreading stenanthemum or propellor plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small, prostrate, mat-forming shrub with hairy young stems, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and densely hairy clusters of tube-shaped flowers surrounded by conspicuous, whitish floral leaves.

<i>Glossostigma elatinoides</i> Species of aquatic plant

Glossostigma elatinoides, also known as small mud-mat, is a flowering plant in the family Phrymaceae and grows in eastern states of Australia. It is a small aquatic or terrestrial herb with mauve flowers.

<i>Billardiera macrantha</i> Species of plant

Billardiera macrantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Pittosporaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender twiner with narrowly elliptic leaves and yellowish-green flowers arranged singly on thin, pendent peduncles. This species is often confused with the similar Tasmanian endemic, Billardiera longiflora.

References

  1. "Spyridium lawrencei". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Approved Conservation Advice for Spyridium lawrencei (Small-leaf Spyridium)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. Rodway, Leonard (1903). The Tasmanian Flora. Hobart: Tasmanian Government Printer. p. 28. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Spyridium lawrencei". Tasmanian Government Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. "Cryptandra lawrencei". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  6. 1 2 Hooker, Joseph Dalton (1860). The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror in the Years 1839-1843 :under the command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross (Part III Flora Tasmaniae). London: Lovell Reeve. p. 72. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  7. "Spyridium lawrencei". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 2 August 2022.