Leucopogon amplexicaulis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Beard-heath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Leucopogon |
| Species: | L. amplexicaulis |
| Binomial name | |
| Leucopogon amplexicaulis | |
 | |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Styphelia amplexicaulis Rudge | |
Leucopogon amplexicaulis, commonly known as beard-heath,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is a scrambling or straggly shrub with egg-shaped, stem-clasping leaves with hairy edges, and spikes of small white flowers.
Leucopogon amplexicaulis is a weak, scrambling or straggly shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 90 cm (35 in), its branchlets covered with fine hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped and stem-clasping with a heart-shaped base, 9.5–34 mm (0.37–1.34 in) long and 4.5–20 mm (0.18–0.79 in) wide on a petiole 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The edges of the leaf are fringed and the lower surface is covered with soft or velvety hairs. The flowers are white and arranged in groups of three to twelve along spikes up to 37 mm (1.5 in) long and longer than the leaves. The sepals are 2.1–3.1 mm (0.083–0.122 in) long with bracteoles 1.1–1.3 mm (0.043–0.051 in) long at the base. The petal tube is 1.2–1.9 mm (0.047–0.075 in) long with lobes 1.2–2.6 mm (0.047–0.102 in) long with soft hairs inside the tube. Flowering occurs from July to October and is followed by flattened, glabrous drupe about 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy
Beard heath was first formally described in 1807 by Edward Rudge who gave it the name Styphelia amplexicaulis in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London from specimens collected near Port Jackson.[6] In 1810, Robert Brown changed the name to Leucopogon amplexicaulis in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae.[7] The species name is Latin for "stem-clasping" and refers to the leaves.[8]
Distribution and habitat
Leucopogon amplexicaulis ranges from the Sydney Basin south to Shoalhaven on the New South Wales South Coast. It is found on sandstone soils in sclerophyll forest, where it grows in sheltered locations on sandstone outcrops and platforms, often near natural seepage.[2] In the Sydney region it is associated with trees such as Sydney peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita), red bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera) and smooth-barked apple (Angophora costata), and with shrubs such as heath banksia (Banksia ericifolia), coral fern (Gleichenia dicarpa) and dog rose (Bauera rubioides).[5]