Synaphea intricata

Synaphea intricata
Conservation status
Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Genus:	Synaphea
Species:	S. intricata
Binomial name
Synaphea intricata A.S.George [1]

Synaphea intricata is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area in south-west of Western Australia. It is a slender shrub with soft hairs pressed against the surface, thrice pinnatipartite leaves, spikes of crowded yellow flowers and elliptic fruit on a narrow neck.

Description

Synaphea intricata is a slender shrub with stems up to 50 cm (20 in) long and covered with soft hairs pressed against the surface, later glabrous. The leaves are thrice pinnatipartite, 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long, 40–70 mm (1.6–2.8 in) wide on a petiole 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long, and multiplanar. The end lobes are 0.5–1.5 mm (0.020–0.059 in) long with two or three sharply pointed, concave lobes. The flowers are yellow and borne in crowded spikes up to 70 mm (2.8 in) long on a peduncle up to 10 mm (0.39 in) long. The perianth has a narrow opening, the upper tepal 4.9–5.2 mm (0.19–0.20 in) long and 2.2 mm (0.087 in) wide, the lower tepal 4.0–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) long. The stigma is oblong and notched, 0.9 mm (0.035 in) long and 0.4 mm (0.016 in) wide. Flowering occurs from September to October, and the fruit is broadly elliptic, 4.5–5.5 mm (0.18–0.22 in) long with a narrow neck and hairy. ^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

Synaphea intricata was first formally described in 1995 by Alex George in the Flora of Australia from specimens he collected about 19 km (12 mi) south of the Muir Highway on the Nornalup Road in 1993. ^{[2] [4]} The specific epithet (intricata) means 'entangled', referring to the leaves of this species. ^[5]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Synaphea grows in sandy in open woodland and in peaty sand in swamps south of Rocky Gully in the Jarrah Forest and Warren bioregions of south-western Western Australia. ^{[2] [3]}

Conservation status

Synaphea incurva is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, ^[3] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. ^[6]

References

1. "Synaphea intricata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
2. George, Alex S. "Synaphea intricata". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
3. "Synaphea intricata". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
4. "Synaphea intricata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
5. George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 231. ISBN   9780645629538.
6. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 8 May 2024.