Androcalva perlaria, commonly known as pearl-like androcalva,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of southern Western Australia. It is a rounded shrub with egg-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, and heads of three to nine white and pinkish flowers.
| Androcalva perlaria | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Androcalva |
| Species: | A. perlaria
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| Binomial name | |
| Androcalva perlaria | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editAndrocalva perlaria is a rounded shrub that typically grows to 40 cm (16 in) high and 100 cm (39 in) wide, and has hairy new growth. Its leaves are egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 1–13 mm (0.039–0.512 in) long and 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) wide on a petiole 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long with lobed, narrowly triangular stipules 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long. The edges of the leaves are rolled under and irregularly lobed, both surfaces densely covered with fine, star-shaped hairs. The flowers are arranged in heads of three to nine on a peduncle up to 4 mm (0.16 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) long, with bracts 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) long at the base. The flowers are 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide with 5 white, hairy, petal-like sepals with a pink base, and 5 white petals, the ligule slightly longer than the sepal lobes. There are up to three staminodes between each pair of stamens. Flowering occurs from September to December.[3]
Taxonomy
editAndrocalva perlaria was first formally described in 2011 by Carolyn Wilkins in Australian Systematic Botany from specimens collected near Wellstead in 2006.[4] The specific epithet (perlaria) means "pearly", referring to the luminescent appearance of the foliage.[3][5]
Distribution and habitat
editThis species grows in dense sedgeland in a seasonally wet habitat near Wellstead, and is only known from bout 270 individual plants in fragmented populations in the Esperance Plains bioregion in the south of Western Australia.[2][3][6]
Conservation status
editAndrocalva perlaria is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999[2] and as "Threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[6] meaning that it is in danger of extinction.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Androcalva perlaria". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "SPRAT profile Androcalva perlaria — Pearl-like Androcalva". Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Blake, Trevor L. (2021). Lantern bushes of Australia ; Thomasias & allied genera : a field and horticultural guide. Victoria: Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group. pp. 140–141. ISBN 9780646839301.
- ^ "Androcalva perlaria". APNI. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 275. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ a b "Androcalva perlaria". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 11 May 2023.