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Styphelia erubescens

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Styphelia erubescens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Styphelia
Species:
S. erubescens
Binomial name
Styphelia erubescens
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Leucopogon rubicundus F.Muell.
    • Leucopogon oxycedrus var. brevifolius Benth.
    • Leucopogon racemulosus var. pauciflorus Sond.
    • Leucopogon rotundifolius var. oblongatus Sond.
Red form on Bluff Knoll

Styphelia erubescens 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 shrub with variably-shaped leaves with a small, sharp point on the tip, and white, pink or red, tube-shaped flowers.

Description

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Styphelia erubescens is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.1–1 m (3.9 in – 3 ft 3.4 in) and often has spreading branches. Its leaves are sessile, 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in) long, linear, oblong or lance-shaped, sometimes egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, but with a small, sharp point on the tip. The flowers are usually borne singly or pairs in leaf axils on a short peduncle with tiny bracts, and broad bracteoles less than half as long as the sepals. The sepals are about 3 mm (0.12 in) long, the petals white, pink or red, nearly 8 mm (0.31 in) long and joined at the base, forming a tube much longer than the sepals. Flowering occurs from March to December.[2][3]

Taxonomy

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Styphelia erubescens was first described in 1867 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae.[4][5] The specific epithet (erubescens) means "reddening", referring to the colour of the flowers.[6]

Distribution and habitat

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This styphelia occurs in a variety of soils in near-coastal sites, in wetland, and on hills, ridges and breakaways in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren bioregions of southern Western Australia.[7]

Conservation status

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Styphelia erubescens is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Styphelia erubescens". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  2. ^ Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1868). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 4. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 219. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Leucopogon oxycedrus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. ^ "Styphelia erubescens". APNI. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  5. ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1867). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 33. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  6. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780958034180.
  7. ^ a b "Styphelia erubescens". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.