Thomasia discolor

Last updated

Thomasia discolor
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Thomasia
Species:
T. discolor
Binomial name
Thomasia discolor

Thomasia discolor is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, compact shrub with hairy new growth, heart-shaped leaves with wavy, lobed edges, and pink flowers in crowded clusters.

Contents

Description

Thomasia discolor is a compact shrub that typically grows to 0.5–1.5 m (1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in) high, 0.8–1.5 m (2 ft 7 in – 4 ft 11 in) wide and has its young growth covered with rust-coloured, star-shaped hairs. The leaves are heart-shaped to oval, 25–50 mm (0.98–1.97 in) long and 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) wide on a petiole up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long. The edges of the leaves are wavy and lobed, the lower surface densely covered with white or rust-coloured, star-shaped hairs. The flowers are arranged in crowded racemes of up to 10, each flower on a pedicel 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long, with hairy bracteoles at the base. The sepals are pink, up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long, but there are no petals. Flowering occurs from September to December. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Thomasia discolor was first formally described in 1845 by Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae from specimens collected in 1840. [4] [5] The specific epithet (discolor) means "variegated", referring to the leaves. [6]

Distribution and habitat

This thomasia grows in coastal heath in moist places, hill slopes and tops in the Esperance Plains and Jarrah Forest bioregions of south-western Western Australia. [2] [3]

Conservation status

Thomasia discolor is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Grevillea diversifolia</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae native to Western Australia

Grevillea diversifolia, the variable-leaved grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with simple or divided leaves and groups white to cream-coloured flowers with a dull red style.

<i>Seringia integrifolia</i> Species of plant

Seringia integrifolia, commonly known as common firebush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, much-branched shrub, its young growth densely covered with woolly, white or rust-coloured hairs. The leaves are oblong, 8.5–17 mm (0.33–0.67 in) long, more or less glabrous on the upper surface and densely covered with woolly white hairs on the lower surface. The flowers are arranged in small, loose groups with thin, egg-shaped bracts that fall off as the flowers open. The sepal lobes are broad, pointed, mostly 6.5–8.5 mm (0.26–0.33 in) long and the ovary has 5 carpels with about 4 ovules in each. The fruit is a spherical, softly hairy capsule.

<i>Grevillea shuttleworthiana</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia

Grevillea shuttleworthiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a more or less erect shrub with variably-shaped leaves, the shape depending on subspecies, and cylindrical clusters of cream-coloured to yellow or greenish flowers, often held above the foliage.

<i>Hibbertia commutata</i> Species of flowering plant

Hibbertia commutata is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, erect, many-branched shrub with narrow elliptic to narrow egg-shaped leaves, and yellow flowers with fifteen to thirty stamens arranged around three carpels.

<i>Thomasia angustifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Thomasia angustifolia, commonly known as narrow-leaved thomasia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has densely hairy young stems, narrowly oblong, wrinkled leaves and pinkish-purple, bell-shaped flowers.

<i>Commersonia corniculata</i> Species of plant

Commersonia corniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with 3-lobed, egg-shaped leaves, and white to cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Hibbertia lineata</i> Species of flowering plant

Hibbertia lineata is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading to erect shrub with linear to narrow egg-shaped leaves and yellow flowers, usually with ten stamens arranged on one side of, and leaning over the two densely hairy carpels.

Lasiopetalum indutum is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect or straggling shrub with hairy stems and pink, cream-coloured or white flowers.

<i>Thomasia cognata</i> Species of shrub

Thomasia cognata is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a compact, multi-stemmed shrub with wrinkled, narrowly oblong to elliptic leaves and pale pink flowers.

Thomasia × formosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with densely hairy branchlets, hairy, coarsely serrated, egg-shaped to elliptic or oblong leaves, and racemes of pink or purple flowers arranged in leaf axils.

<i>Thomasia macrocalyx</i> Species of grass

Thomasia macrocalyx is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with densely hairy new growth, egg-shaped leaves with a heart-shaped base and lobed or toothed edges, and groups of pale purple to mauve or white flowers.

Thomasia montana, commonly known as hill thomasia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an upright to low, ground-covering shrub with hairy new growth, egg-shaped to broadly oblong leaves, sometimes with wavy or toothed edges, and pale purplish-pink to maroon flowers.

<i>Thomasia pauciflora</i> Species of shrub

Thomasia paniculata, commonly known as few-flowered thomasia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a slender, erect or straggling shrub with egg-shaped leaves and pink to purple, occasionally white flowers.

<i>Thomasia rhynchocarpa</i> Species of shrub

Thomasia rhynchocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the Southwest Australia south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, slender shrub with narrowly egg-shaped leaves with a heart-shaped base, and pink to purple flowers.

Cryptandra nutans is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 10–60 cm (3.9–23.6 in) and has many stems at ground level. Its leaves are up to 4 mm (0.16 in) long, and the flowers are white, pink or cream-coloured and crowded in spikes on the ends of branches. The sepals are joined at the base to form a broadly bell-shaped tube, less than 2 mm (0.079 in) long with spreading lobes. Flowering occurs in August and September. It was first formally described in 1845 by Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae from specimens collected in 1840. The specific epithet (nutans) means "nodding".

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

Cryptandra pungens is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, slender, spiny shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.2–1 m with many short branches ending with thin spines. Its leaves mostly in bundles and are 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long. The flowers are white, each on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long with minute, overlapping brown bracts at the base. The sepals are about 1.6 mm (0.063 in) long and joined at the base to form a broadly bell-shaped tube, with lobes half as long as the tube. Flowering occurs from May to November. The species was first formally described in 1845 by Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae from specimens collected in sandy forest near Perth. The specific epithet (pungens) means "ending in a sharp, hard point".

Thomasia rulingioides is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with densely hairy new growth, narrowly oblong to narrowly egg-shaped leaves with wavy edges, and pink to purple flowers.

<i>Commersonia rugosa</i> Species of plant

Commersonia rugosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to New South Wales. It is an open, straggly shrub with linear to narrowly egg-shaped leaves with irregular teeth or lobes on the edges, and white flowers in clusters of 3 to 15.

<i>Commersonia salviifolia</i> Species of plant

Commersonia salviifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with lance-shaped leaves and white flowers in clusters of 5 to 30.

<i>Guichenotia micrantha</i> Species of flowering plant

Guichenotia micrantha, commonly known as small flowered guichenotia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, compact shrub with linear to narrowly egg-shaped leaves and pink flowers in groups of three to six.

References

  1. "Thomasia discolor". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 Blake, Trevor L. (2021). Lantern bushes of Australia ; Thomasias & allied genera : a field and horticultural guide. Victoria: Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group. pp. 20–21. ISBN   9780646839301.
  3. 1 2 3 "Thomasia discolor". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. "Thomasia discolor". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  5. von Steudel, Ernst G. (1845). Lehmann, Johann G.C.; Preiss, Ludwig (eds.). Plantae preissianae sive enumeratio plantarum quas in australasia occidentali et meridionali-occidentali. Hamburg: Sumptibus Meissneri. pp. 233–234. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  6. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 184. ISBN   9780958034180.