Leionema hillebrandii, commonly known as Mount Lofty phebalium,[2] is a perennial, woody shrub endemic to South Australia. It has variable shaped leaves and pinkish flowers from late winter to spring.
| Leionema hillebrandii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Leionema |
| Species: | L. hillebrandii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leionema hillebrandii | |
Description
editLeionema hillebrandii is a small straggly, perennial shrub to 30–60 cm (12–24 in) high with smooth greenish-brown to red, thin, terete branchlets sparsely covered with star shaped hairs. The edges of the leaves are rolled under, dark green, silky, heart shaped to wedge-shaped, narrowing at the base or egg-shaped to wedge-shaped or oblong, 5–17 mm (5.0–17.0 mm) long, 2–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) wide with smooth margins. The leaves may be squared with a point or rounded at the apex or acute with two lobes, rounded with a shallow notch, papery, smooth texture or rough with short hard protrusions on the upper surface. The inflorescence is cluster of up to 16 pinkish flowers on a thin pedicel 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long. The calyx lobes triangular shaped, about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) high and occasional star-shaped hairs. The petals are smooth, spreading, narrowly oval-shaped, 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) long and pink toward the tip. The stamens are more or less equal in length to the petals and the anthers pink. The fruit is a light brown, 2-4 segmented egg-shaped capsule, 4 mm (0.16 in) long, rounded at the apex with a beak. Flowering occurs from August to October.[3]
Taxonomy and naming
editMount Lofty phebalium was described in 1957 as Phebalium hillebrandii by J.H Willis,[4] but the name was changed to Leionema hillebrandii in 1998 by Paul G. Wilson and the description was published in the journal Nuytsia.[5][6] The specific epithet (hillebrandii) was named in honour of Dr. Wilhelm Hillebrand a friend of Baron von Mueller.[7]
Distribution and habitat
editThis species is found along rocky waterways from Mount Lofty to Tanunda in South Australia.[3][7]
References
edit- ^ "Leionema hillebrandii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Leionema hillebrandii". Seeds of South Australia. Government of South Australia, Department of Environment & Water. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ a b Wilson, Paul G. (1999). Flora of Australia-Meliaceae, Rutaceae, Zygophyllaceae (PDF). Canberra/Melbourne: ABRS-Commonwealth of Australia Department of Environment & Heritage. p. 440. ISBN 9780643109551.
- ^ "Phebalium hillebrandii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Leionema hillebrandii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "Leionema hillebrandii". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 274. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ a b "The Victorian Naturalist". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 18 May 2020.