Painted marianthus
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Pittosporaceae
Genus: Marianthus
Species:
M. bicolor
Binomial name
Marianthus bicolor
(Putt.) F.Muell.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Billardiera bicolor (Putt.) E.M.Benn.
  • Billardiera bicolor (Putt.) E.M.Benn. var. bicolor
  • Billardiera bicolor var. lineata (F.Muell.) E.M.Benn.
  • Marianthus lineatus F.Muell.
  • Marianthus pictus Lindl.
  • Oncosporum bicolor Putt. nom. illeg., nom. superfl.
  • Oncosporum bicolor Putt.
Habit

Marianthus bicolor, commonly known as painted marianthus,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Pittosporaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a low, erect, spreading shrub or climber with narrowly elliptic leaves and white to cream-coloured flowers with maroon or purple striations flowers arranged in branched clusters.

Description

Marianthus bicolor is a low, erect, spreading shrub or climber with reddish purple new stems. Its adult leaves are narrowly elliptic, 26–45 mm (1.0–1.8 in) long and 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) wide on a short petiole. The leaves are thick and both surfaces of the mature leaves are covered with a waxy bloom. The flowers are borne in branched clusters on a peduncle 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long, the sepals egg-shaped, thickened and wavy, up to 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long and yellow on the outer surface. The five petals are narrowly spatula-shaped, 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long and up to 3.5 mm (0.14 in) wide, white to cream-coloured with maroon or purple striations. Flowering mainly occurs from December to March.[2][3]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1839 by Alois (Aloys) Putterlick in Novarum Stirpium Decades.[4][5] In 1860, Ferdinand von Mueller transferred the species to Marianthus as M. bicolor in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[6] The specific epithet (bicolor) means "two colours".[7]

Distribution and habitat

Marianthus bicolor grows in mallee in valleys, on hills, flats, sandplains and roadsides, and is widespread in the south-west of Western Australia, mainly from the Darling Range to Ravensthorpe.[2][3]

Conservation status

Marianthus bicolor is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Marianthus bicolor". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Marianthus bicolor". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. 1 2 "Marianthus bicolor". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Oncosporum bicolor". APNI. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Putterlick, Alois (1839). Endlicher, Stephan; Fenzl, Edouard (eds.). Novarum Stirpium Decades. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Marianthus bicolor". APNI. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  7. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 146. ISBN 9780958034180.
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