Billardiera ovalis

Billardiera ovalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Pittosporaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a woody, creeping scrambler with thick, egg-shaped or elliptic leaves, and creamy-yellow flowers arranged singly in leaf axils, but turning red as they age.

Billardiera ovalis
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Pittosporaceae
Genus: Billardiera
Species:
B. ovalis
Binomial name
Billardiera ovalis
Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium
Synonyms[1]

Billardiera longiflora var. ovalis (Lindl.) E.M.Benn.

Description

Billardiera ovalis is a woody, creeping scrambler with shaggy-hairy new shoots. Its leaves are clustered on short side-shoots and are spatula-shaped at first, later egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, or elliptic, 16–24 mm (0.63–0.94 in) long, about 5 mm (0.20 in) wide and more or less sessile. The leaves are thick, both surfaces pale green and waxy, streaked with purplish-red on the lower surface. The flowers are arranged singly on hairy peduncles 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long. The sepals are broadly egg-shaped, reddish-purple and overlap each other, 2.0–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long and about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide. The petals are creamy-yellow, turning wine red as they age, and less than 20 mm (0.79 in) long. Flowering occurs in summer and the mature fruit is usually a bright red, egg-shaped berry about 10 mm (0.39 in) long.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Billardiera ovalis was first formally described in 1834 by John Lindley in Edwards's Botanical Register.[4][5] The specific epithet (ovalis) means "oval" or "elliptic".[6]

Distribution and habitat

This species of billardiera grows in scrub on coastal dolerite from King Island to south-eastern Tasmania.[2][3]

References
  1. "Billardiera ovalis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  2. "Billardiera nesophila". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  3. Jordan, Greg. "Billardiera ovalis". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  4. "Billardiera ovalis". APNI. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  5. Lindley, John (1835). "Billardiera ovalis". Edwards's Botanical Register. 20: 1719. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  6. William T. Stearn (1992). Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary (4th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 459.
  7. Lindley, John (1835). "Billardiera ovalis". Edwards's Botanical Register. 20: 1719. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
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