Wongan philotheca
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Philotheca
Species:
P. wonganensis
Binomial name
Philotheca wonganensis
(Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Eriostemon wonganensis Paul G.Wilson

Philotheca wonganensis, commonly known as Wongan philotheca,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with thin, cylindrical leaves and white flowers with a pink central stripe, usually arranged singly in leaf axils.

Description

Philotheca wonganensis is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 1 m (3 ft 3 in) with corky branchlets. The leaves are thin, scattered, needle-shaped, 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in), sometimes glandular-warty, and channelled on the upper surface. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils on a thin, club-shaped pedicel about 5 mm (0.20 in) long. There are five broadly egg-shaped sepals about 1 mm (0.039 in) long and five white, oblong to elliptical petals about 5 mm (0.20 in) long with a pink central stripe. The ten stamens are free from each other and form a pyramid above the ovary. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is about 3 mm (0.12 in) long with a short beak.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

This philotheca was first formally described in 1982 by Paul Wilson who gave it the name Eriostemon wonganensis and published the description in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected by Kevin Kenneally near Wongan Hills township in 1980.[4][6] In 1998, Wilson changed the name to Philotheca wonganensis in the same journal.[7][8]

Distribution and habitat

Philotheca wonganensis grows in dense shrubland and woodland with a shrubby understorey. It is only known from four populations in the Shire of Wongan–Ballidu in the south-west of Western Australia.[2][3]

Conservation status

This philotheca is classified as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia).[5] The main threat to the species is poor recruitment.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Philotheca wonganensis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Approved Conservation Advice for Philotheca wonganensis (Wongan Philotheca)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 Wilson, Paul G.; Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.) (2013). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. p. 375. Retrieved 15 August 2020. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  4. 1 2 Wilson, Paul G. (1982). "Eriostemon wonganensis (Rutaceae), a new species from the Wongan Hills, Western Australia". Nuytsia. 4 (1): 47–50. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Philotheca wonganensis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. ↑ "Eriostemon wonganensis". APNI. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Philotheca wonganensis". APNI. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "A Taxonomic Review of the genera Eriostemon and Philotheca". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 256. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "SPRAT Profile Philotheca wonganensis – Wongan philotheca". Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
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