Brachyloma depressum, commonly known as spreading brachyloma[2] or spreading heath,[3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a stiff, prickly shrub with sharply-pointed, lance-shaped leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers.
| Brachyloma depressum | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Grampians National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Brachyloma |
| Species: | B. depressum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Brachyloma depressum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description
editBrachyloma depressum is a stiff, prickly shrub that typically grows to a height of up to about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and has many branches covered with downy hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped, 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long and 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) wide with a sharp point on the tip. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils on a short peduncle with lance-shaped bracteoles 2.0–3.5 mm (0.079–0.138 in) long at the base. The sepals are lance-shaped, 2.8–3.5 mm (0.11–0.14 in) long and the petals white, joined to form a cylindrical tube 2.6–3.3 mm (0.10–0.13 in) long with spreading, wavy lobes 2.5–4.0 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long and bearded near the base. Flowering occurs from August to December and the fruit is a drupe.[2][4][3]
Taxonomy and naming
editThis species was first formally described 1858 by Ferdinand von Mueller, who gave it the name Lissanthe depressa in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[5][6] In 1868, George Bentham changed the name to Brachyloma depressum in Flora Australiensis.[7] The specific epithet (depressum) means "pressed down".[8]
Distribution
editBrachyloma depressum grows in shrubby woodland on sandy or rocky slopes and between granite boulders in scattered locations in Grampians National Park in Victoria, and on the east coast of Tasmania, especially on the Freycinet Peninsula.[2][3][9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Brachyloma depressum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Albrecht, David E.; Stajsic, Val. "Brachyloma depressum". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "Threatened species link - Brachyloma depressum". Tasmanian Government Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Rodway, Leonard (1903). The Tasmanian Flora. Hobart: Tasmanian Government Printer. p. 115. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Lissanthe depressa". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1858). Fragment Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 1. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Brachyloma depressum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 181. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ Jordan, Greg. "Brachyloma depressum". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 23 September 2023.