Leucopogon gracilis is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a spindly shrub with wiry branchlets, linear to lance-shaped leaves, and dense spikes of white or pinkish flowers.
| Leucopogon gracilis | |
|---|---|
| |
| In the Walpole-Nornalup National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Leucopogon |
| Species: | L. gracilis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucopogon gracilis | |
| |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Styphelia gracilis (R.Br.) Spreng. | |
Description
editLeucopogon gracilis is a spindly shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.15–1 m (5.9 in – 3 ft 3.4 in) and has wiry branchlets. Its leaves are linear to lance-shaped, usually 4.0–6.5 mm (0.16–0.26 in) long with 3 or 5 prominent ribs. The flowers are arranged in dense spikes on the ends of branches with small bracts and lance-shaped bracteoles about half as long as the sepals. The sepals are about 2 mm (0.079 in) long and the petals white or pinkish and about 4 mm (0.16 in) long, forming a tube with lobes about the same length as the petal tube. Flowering occurs from July to December or from January to March.[2][3]
Taxonomy
editLeucopogon gracilis was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[4][5] The specific epithet, (gracilis), means "slender" or "thin".[6] A holotype, collected by Robert Brown at King George's Sound is kept at Kew Gardens.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Leucopogon gracilis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ Bentham, George (1868). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 4. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 199. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "Leucopogon gracilis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Leucopogon gracilis". APNI. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ Brown, R. (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805. p. 544. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 208. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ "Leucopogon gracilis". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 December 2022.