Biology:Leucopogon lavarackii

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of shrub

Leucopogon lavarackii
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Leucopogon
Species:
L. lavarackii
Binomial name
Leucopogon lavarackii
Pedley[1]
Leucopogon lavarackiiDistA100.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Leucopogon lavarackii is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to Cape York Peninsula in far northern Queensland. It is a much-branched shrub with softly-hairy branchlets, oblong, elliptic or lance-shaped leaves and spikes of white, tube-shaped flowers.

Description

Leucopogon lavarackii is a much-branched shrub with softly-hairy branchlets, that typically grows to a height of up to 3 m (9.8 ft), sometimes flowering when less than 30 cm (12 in) tall. Its leaves are oblong, elliptic, or lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 11–15 mm (0.43–0.59 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide. The flowers are arranged in spikes of 2 to 4 in upper leaf axils with bracts about 0.7 mm (0.028 in) long and bracteoles 1.2–1.7 mm (0.047–0.067 in) long. The sepals are 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long and the petals are white, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and joined for one-third to a half that length. The fruit is an orange-yellow, elliptic drupe about the same length as the sepals.[2]

Taxonomy

Leucopogon lavarackii was first formally described in 1990 by Leslie Pedley in the journal Austrobaileya from specimens collected by Leonard John Brass on Mount Tozer in 1948.[3] The specific epithet (lavarackii) honours Peter S. Lavarack.[2]

Distribution and habitat

This leucopogon grows on sand and shallow, rocky soil on Cape York Peninsula as far south as Cooktown.[2]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q17243386 entry