Leucopogon mitchellii
Leucopogon mitchellii is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae family and is endemic to Queensland. It is a shrub with sharply-pointed, narrowly oblong leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers.
Leucopogon mitchellii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Leucopogon |
Species: | L. mitchellii |
Binomial name | |
Leucopogon mitchellii | |
Occurrence data from AVH | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Styphelia mitchellii (Benth.) F.Muell. |
Description
Leucopogon mitchellii is a glabrous, often glaucous shrub that typically grows to a height of 60–90 cm (24–35 in). Its leaves are sessile, narrowly oblong, usually less than 12 mm (0.47 in) long, with a small, sharp point on the tip. The flowers are usually borne singly in leaf axils on a short peduncle, the flowers relatively large for the genus Leucopogon. There are minute bracts at the base of the flower and broad bracteoles less than half as long as the sepals. The sepals are almost 4.2 mm (0.17 in) long, and the petals are white, joined at the base to form a tube 6.3–7.4 mm (0.25–0.29 in) long with lobes almost 4.2 mm (0.17 in) long. The style protrudes beyond the petal tube.[2]
Taxonomy
Leucopogon mitchellii was first formally described in 1868 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis from specimens collected, among others, by Thomas Mitchell near Lake Salvator Rosa.[2][3]
Leucopogon mitchellii and L. cuspidatus are listed as synonyms of Styphelia mitchellii by Plants of the World Online.[4] The name L. mitchellii is listed as superseded by Styphelia mitchellii by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, where its conservation status is listed as of "least concern".[5]
References
- "Leucopogon mitchellii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- Bentham, George (1868). Flora Australiensis. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 220. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- "Leucopogon mitchellii". APNI. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- "Styphelia mitchellii". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- "Species profile—Leucopogon mitchellii". Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 26 January 2023.