Styphelia nesophila, commonly known as sharp beard-heath,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is native to south-eastern Australia and New Zealand, where it is known as pātōtara, or dwarf mingimingi.[3] It is a prickly, prostrate to trailing or low-growing shrub with egg-shaped leaves, and erect, tube-shaped white flowers usually arranged singly in leaf axils.
| Styphelia nesophila | |
|---|---|
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| Near Adaminaby | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Styphelia |
| Species: | S. nesophila
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| Binomial name | |
| Styphelia nesophila | |
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editStyphelia nesophila is a prickly, prostrate to trailing, low-growing shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 30 cm (12 in) and has bristly branchlets. Its leaves are egg-shaped to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and 1–2.5 mm (0.039–0.098 in) wide. The leaves are glabrous, pale-edged, and have a thin, sharp point up to 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long on the tip. The flowers are usually arranged singly in leaf axils on a peduncle about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, with bracteoles 1.1–1.8 mm (0.043–0.071 in) long at the base. The sepals are 2.5–3.9 mm (0.098–0.154 in) long, the petals forming a tube 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and hairy inside, the petal lobes 2.0–3.4 mm (0.079–0.134 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is a glabrous, yellow, egg-shaped to elliptic drupe 4.7–5.3 mm (0.19–0.21 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first formally described in 1839 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in his Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis from specimens collected in New Zealand.[5] In 1963, Hermann Otto Sleumer transferred the species to the genus Styphelia as S. nesophila in the journal Blumea.[1]
Distribution and habitat
editThis styphelia grows in forest, shrubland and heath, often in poorly-drained or sandy soils or among rocks, and usually occurs at an altitude of above about 500 m (1,600 ft). It is found on the tablelands of northern and southern New South Wales, in eastern Victoria, on the Central Plateau of Tasmania, and in New Zealand.[2][3][4]
Conservation status
editStyphelia nesophila is listed as "not threatened" in New Zealand.[3]
Ecology
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Styphelia nesophila". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Powell, Jocelyn M.; Walsh, Neville G.; Brown, Elizabeth A. "Styphelia nesophila". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Styphelia nesophila". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b Powell, Jocelyn M. (1992). "Leucopogon fraseri". Plantnet - Flora Online. NSW Government. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ "Leucopogon nesophilus". APNI. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Thorsen, M.J.; Dickinson, K.J.M.; Seddon, P.J. (2009). "Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora". Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 11 (4): 285–309. doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001. ISSN 1433-8319.