Biology:Leucopogon pendulus

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of plant

Leucopogon pendulus
Leucopogon pendulus.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Leucopogon
Species:
L. pendulus
Binomial name
Leucopogon pendulus
Leucopogon pendulusDistA138.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]

Styphelia pendula (R.Br.) Spreng.
Leucopogon pendulus R.Br. var. pendulus
Leucopogon secundiflorus Sond.

Leucopogon pendulus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, straggling shrub with oblong leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers that are bearded inside.

Description

Leucopogon pendulus is a bushy, erect, heath-like shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.9–1.2 m (2 ft 11 in–3 ft 11 in) and has many glabrous or softly-hairy branches. Its leaves are mostly erect, oblong to linear, 4.2–8.5 mm (0.17–0.33 in) or rarely up to 12 mm (0.47 in) long and sometimes with a short, hard point on the tip. The flowers are pendulous and arranged singly or in pairs in leaf axils on a peduncle 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long with tiny bracts, and bracteoles less than half as long as the sepals at the base. The sepals are about 2 mm (0.079 in) long, the petals white and joined at the base, forming a tube about as long as the sepals, with lobes twice as long as the petal tube and bearded inside. Flowering occurs from March to October and the fruit is a drupe 2 or 3 times as long as the sepals.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Leucopogon pendulus was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[4][5] The specific epithet, pendulus means "hanging down" or "drooping", referring to the flowers and fruit.[6]

Distribution

This leucopogon is found in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren bioregions of south-western Western Australia.[3]

Conservation status

Leucopogon pendulus is listed (as Styphelia pendula) as "not threatened", by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[3]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q17241491 entry