Pimelea humilis

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Common riceflower
Pimelea humilis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Genus: Pimelea
Species:
P. humilis
Binomial name
Pimelea humilis
Synonyms [1]
  • Banksia humilis(R.Br.) Kuntze
  • Pimelea esulifolia Gand.
  • Pimelea humilisR.Br. var. humilis
  • Pimelea humilis var. myrtifolia(Schltdl.) Meisn.
  • Pimelea myrtifoliaSchltdl.
  • Pimelea tasmanicaGand.
Habit in the Australian National Botanic Gardens Pimelea humilis habit.jpg
Habit in the Australian National Botanic Gardens

Pimelea humilis, also known as common riceflower [2] or dwarf riceflower, [3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or scrambling shrub with hairy stems, elliptic to lance-shaped leaves and heads of 12 to 52 of creamy-white, bisexual or female flowers.

Contents

Description

Pimelea humilis is an erect or scrambling that typically grows to a height of 5–50 cm (2.0–19.7 in) and has densely hairy young stems. Its leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped, mostly 5–16 mm (0.20–0.63 in) long, 1–9 mm (0.039–0.354 in) wide on a short petiole. The flowers are arranged in clusters of 12 to 52 on a peduncle 2–19 mm (0.079–0.748 in) long, surrounded by 4 or 6 egg-shaped involucral bracts 6–18 mm (0.24–0.71 in) long, 3–11 mm (0.12–0.43 in) wide and green with a yellow base. The flowers are creamy-white, the flower tube 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) long, the sepals 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) long, and the stamens shorter than the sepals. Flowering occurs from September to December and the fruit is green and about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Common riceflower is similar to P. linifolia but is smaller, softer and has hairy stems. [6]

Taxonomy

Pimelea humilis was first formally described by Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae in 1810. [7] [8] The specific epithet (humilis) means "low" or "low-growing". [9]

Distribution and habitat

Common riceflower grows in heath, woodland, forest and grassland, often in sandy soil. It is widespread and common in Victoria, but less common in New South Wales, growing at Robertson and south of Eden. It also occurs east of the Mount Lofty Range in South Australia and in north-eastern Tasmania. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pimelea microcephala</i> Species of plant

Pimelea microcephala, commonly known as mallee rice-flower or shrubby rice-flower is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to mainland Australia. It is an erect shrub with compact heads of male or female, white to yellow or greenish flowers on separate plants, the heads surrounded by 2 or 4 leaf-like involucral bracts.

<i>Pimelea flava</i> Species of plant

Pimelea flava is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and compact clusters of 9 or more flowers with 2 or 4 elliptic to circular involucral bracts at the base. The flowers and bracts are white or yellow, depending on subspecies.

<i>Pimelea octophylla</i> Species of plant

Pimelea octophylla, commonly known as woolly riceflower or downy riceflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with densely hairy young stems, narrowly elliptic leaves and heads of 22 to 45 densely hairy, cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers surrounded by 6 to 12 leaf-like involucral bracts.

<i>Leucopogon juniperinus</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon juniperinus, commonly known as prickly beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect, densely-branched shrub with oblong to more or less egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged singly in upper leaf axils.

<i>Pimelea serpyllifolia</i> Species of plant


Pimelea serpyllifolia, commonly known as thyme riceflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrowly elliptic to spatula-shaped leaves, and compact heads of 4 to 12 yellow, yellowish-green or white flowers surrounded by 2 or 4 leaf-like involucral bracts. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants.

<i>Pimelea ligustrina</i> Species of plant

Pimelea ligustrina is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae, and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with lance-shaped or narrowly elliptic leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and clusters of creamy-white, white or pinkish flowers usually surrounded by 4 or 8, greenish to reddish brown involucral bracts.

<i>Pimelea hispida</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea hispida, commonly known as bristly pimelea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with elliptic leaves and erect clusters of pink flowers surrounded by 4 green involucral bracts.

<i>Pimelea glauca</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea glauca, commonly known as smooth riceflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has elliptic to more or less lance-shaped or linear leaves and creamy-white flowers arranged in heads of seven or more on the ends of the stems, with four lance-shaped to egg-shaped bracts at the base of the inflorescence.

<i>Pimelea imbricata</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea imbricata is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is native to the southwest of Western Australia and south-eastern South Australia. It is a shrub with narrowly elliptic leaves and erect, compact clusters of white or pink flowers surrounded by 10 to 22 green or red to purple involucral bracts.

<i>Pimelea longiflora</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea longiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with linear to narrowly elliptic leaves and erect clusters of white to cream-coloured flowers, surrounded by 4 to 6 green, egg-shaped involucral bracts.

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

Pimelea pauciflora, commonly known as poison rice-flower, is a species of shrub in the family Thymelaeaceae. It has small yellow-lime flowers and green, smooth fleshy leaves, and is endemic to Eastern Australia.

<i>Pimelea sericea</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea sericea is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a shrub with densely hairy young stems, elliptic leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and compact clusters of white, pink or pinkish-white flowers.

<i>Pimelea sylvestris</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea sylvestris is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrowly elliptic to elliptic leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and compact heads of white or pink flowers surrounded by 2 or 4 pairs of narrowly egg-shaped involucral bracts.

<i>Pimelea curviflora</i> Species of plant

Pimelea curviflora, also known as curved rice-flower, is a shrub in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a small, hairy shrub with greenish-yellow or red tubular flowers.

<i>Goodenia humilis</i> Species of plant

Goodenia humilis, commonly known as swamp goodenia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a weak, perennial herb with linear to lance-shaped leaves mostly at the base of the plant, and racemes or thyrses of yellow or yellowish-brown flowers.

<i>Leucopogon appressus</i> Species of shrub

Leucopogon appressus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern New South Wales. It is a small, spreading to erect shrub with wiry stems, lance-shaped or narrowly egg-shaped to elliptic leaves and small white flowers.

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

Epacris paludosa, commonly known as swamp heath, is a species of flowering plant from the heath family, Ericaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with lance-shaped, elliptic or egg-shaped leaves and tube-shaped white or cream-coloured flowers in crowded, leafy heads at the ends of branches.

<i>Pimelea argentea</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea argentea, commonly known as silvery leaved pimelea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with densely hairy young stems and leaves, the leaves linear to elliptic, and heads of white to yellow or greenish flowers, the male and female flowers on separate plants.

Pimelea lanata is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrowly elliptic leaves and erect clusters of white to deep pink flowers surrounded by 4, mostly green, involucral bracts.

<i>Pimelea latifolia</i> Species of plant

Pimelea latifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with hairy young stems, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and greenish-yellow to white, tube-shaped flowers.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pimelea humilis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pimelea humilis". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Harden, Gwen J. "Pimelea humilis". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 Rye, Barbara L. "Pimelea humilis". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  5. 1 2 Entwisle, Timothy J. "Pimelea humilis". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  6. Jordan, Greg. "Pimelea humilis". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  7. "Pimelea humilis". APNI. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805. London. p. 361. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  9. William T. Stearn (1992). Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary (4th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 427.