Pseudanthus ovalifolius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pseudanthus ovalifolius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Near Kamarooka | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Picrodendraceae |
| Genus: | Pseudanthus |
| Species: | P. ovalifolius |
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudanthus ovalifolius | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Pseudanthus ovalifolius, commonly known as oval-leaf pseudanthus,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Picrodendraceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a spreading to compact, wiry, monoecious shrub with oval leaves and whitish flowers arranged singly in upper leaf axils, but sometimes appearing clustered on the ends of branches.
Pseudanthus ovalifolius is a spreading to compact, wiry monoecious shrub that typically grows to a height of 30 cm (12 in) and has glabrous branchlets. Its leaves are oval, elliptic or more or less round, 2.2–5.0 mm (0.087–0.197 in) long and 1.0–2.1 mm (0.039–0.083 in) wide on a petiole 0.1–0.4 mm (0.0039–0.0157 in) long with reddish-brown, broadly triangular stipules 0.5–0.9 mm (0.020–0.035 in) long at the base. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils, but sometimes appear clustered on the ends of branches with egg-shaped bracts 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long at the base. Male flowers are on a pedicel 0.5–1.3 mm (0.020–0.051 in) long, the 6 tepals narrowly oblong to oblong and whitish, 1.3–3.4 mm (0.051–0.134 in) long and 0.5–0.8 mm (0.020–0.031 in) wide and there are 6 stamens. Female flowers are sessile, the 5 or 6 tepals reddish-brown and creamy white, 1.1–2.2 mm (0.043–0.087 in) long and 0.2–0.6 mm (0.0079–0.0236 in) wide. Flowering has been observed from February to November, and the fruit is a green, oval capsule 3.5–4.0 mm (0.14–0.16 in) long.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy and naming
Pseudanthus ovalifolius was first formally described in 1857 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria.[6][7] The specific epithet (ovalifolius) means "oval-leaved".[8]