Biology:Leucopogon maritimus

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Short description: Species of plant

Leucopogon maritimus

Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Leucopogon
Species:
L. maritimus
Binomial name
Leucopogon maritimus
Hislop[1]
Leucopogon maritimusDistA107.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Leucopogon maritimus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the west coast of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with hairy young branchlets, erect, narrowly elliptic leaves and erect white, tube-shaped flowers in upper leaf axils or on the ends of branches.

Description

Leucopogon maritimus is a shrub that typically grows up to about 40 cm (16 in) high and 60 cm (24 in) wide, its young branchlets densely covered with hairs up to 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The leaves are erect, spirally arranged, narrowly elliptic, 3.9–8.6 mm (0.15–0.34 in) long and 1.2–2.6 mm (0.047–0.102 in) wide on a cream-coloured or yellowish petiole 0.3–0.6 mm (0.012–0.024 in) long. Both surfaces of the leaves are more or less glabrous and shiny. The flowers are arranged in groups of 4 to 12 at the ends of branchlets or in upper leaf axils, with egg-shaped or narrowly egg-shaped bracts 0.9–1.8 mm (0.035–0.071 in) long, and slightly larger bracteoles, the sepals egg-shaped or narrowly egg-shaped and 1.9–3.0 mm (0.075–0.118 in) long. The petals are white, joined at the base to form a broadly bell-shaped tube 0.8–1.2 mm (0.031–0.047 in) long, the lobes widely spreading, curved backwards and 1.9–2.8 mm (0.075–0.110 in) long. Flowering has been observed from November to August and the fruit is an elliptic to oval drupe 1.3–1.8 mm (0.051–0.071 in) long.[2]

Taxonomy and naming

Leucopogon maritimus was first formally described in 2011 by Michael Clyde Hislop in the journal Nuytsia from specimens he collected near Wilbinga in 2008.[2][3] The specific epithet (maritimus) means "by the sea", referring to this species' distribution.[2]

Distribution and habitat

This leucopogon grows in low, near-coastal heath 40 to 70 km (25 to 43 mi) north of Perth in the Swan Coastal Plain bioregion in the west of Western Australia.[2][4]

Conservation status

Leucopogon maritimus is listed as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[4] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations that are potentially at risk.[5]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q17242139 entry