Thomasia pygmaea

Tiny thomasia
In Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
Conservation status
Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Thomasia
Species:	T. pygmaea
Binomial name
Thomasia pygmaea (Turcz.) Benth. [1]
Synonyms [1]
Asterochiton pygmaeusTurcz. Lasiopetalum pygmaeum(Turcz.) F.Muell. Lasiopetalum pygmalumF.Muell. orth. var. Lasiopetalum pymacumF.Muell. orth. var.

Thomasia pygmaea, commonly known as tiny thomasia, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to southern Western Australia. It is a low, dense, compact shrub with broadly heart-shaped to egg-shaped or more or less round leaves and pink to purple flowers.

Description

Thomasia pygmaea is a dense, compact shrub that typically grows to 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) high and up to 80 cm (31 in) wide, its stems covered with rust-coloured scales. Its leaves are broadly heart-shaped to egg-shaped or more or less round, 2–12 mm (0.079–0.472 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) wide on a petiole 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long. The surface of the leaves is covered with pale or rust-coloured scales, densely so on the lower surface. The flowers are 18 mm (0.71 in) in diameter and arranged singly or in pairs in leaf axils a scaly peduncle 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long. The sepals are pink to purple and sparsely covered with scaly hairs. Flowering occurs from August to October. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1852 by Nicolai Stepanovitch Turczaninow who gave it the name Asterochiton pygmaeus in Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou from specimens collected by James Drummond. ^{[5] [6]} In 1863, George Bentham changed the name to Thomasia pygmaea in Flora Australiensis . ^[7] The specific epithet (pygmaea) means "dwarf". ^[8]

Distribution and habitat

This thomasia grows in woodland and shrubland between the south of the Stirling Range and the west of Esperance in the Esperance Plains and Mallee bioregions of southern Western Australia. ^{[2] [3]}

Conservation status

Thomasia pygmaea is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, ^[2] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. ^[9]

Use in horticulture

Tiny thomasia is described as an attractive small shrub, useful for edging, container growing or in rockeries. It requires a light soil with good drainage and tolerates some shade and light frost. ^[4]

References

1. "Thomasia pygmaea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
2. "Thomasia pygmaea". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
3. Blake, Trevor L. (2021). Lantern bushes of Australia; Thomasias & allied genera : a field and horticultural guide. Victoria: Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group. pp. 52–53. ISBN   9780646839301.
4. Greig, D. (1987). The Australian Gardener's Wildflower Catalogue. Australia: Angus & Robertson. ISBN   0207154600.
5. "Asterochiton pygmaeus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
6. Turczaninow, Nikolai (1852). "Decas septima generum adhuc non descriptorum adjectis descriptionibus nonnullarum specierum". Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou. 25 (3): 138–139. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
7. "Thomasia pygmaea". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
8. William T. Stearn (1992). Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary (4th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 477.
9. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 1 February 2023.