| Trithuria lanterna | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Order: | Nymphaeales |
| Family: | Hydatellaceae |
| Genus: | Trithuria |
| Section: | Trithuria sect. Hamannia |
| Species: | T. lanterna |
| Binomial name | |
| Trithuria lanterna | |
 | |
| Trithuria lanterna is endemic to Australia [3] | |
Trithuria lanterna is a species of plant in the family Hydatellaceae endemic to Australia. [3]
Trithuria lanterna is a 10 mm tall and 30 mm wide, [4] annual herb [5] [6] with very short stems bearing fibrous roots and basal, linear, [5] 5–18 mm long, and 0.8 wide leaves. [5] [7] It often displays red colouration. [5]
It is a monoecious species with bisexual reproductive units ("flowers"). [6] The several, sessile [5] reproductive units have 2–4 [6] lanceolate, 2–3 mm long involucral bracts, [5] 1–2 stamens with 0.6–1.0 mm long anthers attached to [6] up to 1.5 mm long filaments, as well as 6-20 carpels. The ovoid-trigonous, 0.4 mm long, and 0.2 mm wide fruit with three prominent ribs is indehiscent, [5] or at least in one case dehiscent. [6] The ovoid, 0.3 mm long, translucent seed with a dark apex [5] is smooth. [5] [6] Flowering occurs from April to June. [7] [8]
It is native to the Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia. [3]
It was published by David Alan Cooke in 1981. [3] [5] The type specimen was collected by R.L. Specht on Bickerton Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, South Bay, Northern Territory, Australia on the 14th of June 1948. [5] [6] It is placed in Trithuria sect. Hamannia. [9]
The specific epithet lanterna, from the Latin lanterna meaning lantern, refers to the morphology of the pericarp, which has a three-windowed structure resembling a lantern. [5]
It is not threatened. [8] The Nature Conservation Act status is least concern. [1] Likewise, the IUCN conservation status is least concern (LC). [2]
It occurs in ephemeral pools, [10] seasonal swamps dominated by Melaleuca leucadendron, [5] and stream margins. [8]
