Styphelia rufa
| Styphelia rufa | |
|---|---|
| |
| In the Onkaparinga River National Park | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Styphelia |
| Species: | S. rufa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Styphelia rufa | |
| |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Styphelia rufa, commonly known as spoon-leaf beard-heath[2] or ruddy bearded-heath,[3] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with erect to spreading, egg-shaped leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged in spikes in two to five leaf axils near the ends of branches.
Description[edit]
Styphelia rufa is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 30–60 cm (12–24 in), its young branchlets sometimes covered with fine, soft hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped and erect to spreading, 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) wide. The leaves are sometimes glabrous, otherwise covered with soft hairs, the lower side a paler shade of green, and there is a sharp bristle on the tip. The flowers are borne in spikes in two to five upper leaf axils, the spikes 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long, with egg-shaped to almost round bracteoles 1.4–2.0 mm (0.055–0.079 in) long at the base. The sepals are narrowly egg-shaped, 3.1–4.6 mm (0.12–0.18 in) long, the petals white, 5.3–6.6 mm (0.21–0.26 in) long and joined at the base, forming a tube, the lobes shorter than the petal tube. Flowering occurs from November to March, and the fruit is about 6 mm (0.24 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy[edit]
This species was first formally described in 1838 by John Lindley who gave it the name Leucopogon rufus in Thomas Mitchell's journal, Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia.[5] In 1867, Ferdinand von Mueller transferred the species to Styphelia as S. rufa in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. The specific epithet (rufa) means "reddish".[6]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Spoon-leaf beard-heath occurs in scattered populations in northern and north-eastern Victoria, extending into south-eastern South Australia and the far south of New South Wales. In usually grows in heath, but is also found in open forest and mallee scrub.[2][3][4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Styphelia rufa". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Powell, Jocelyn M.; Walsh, Neville G.; Brown, Elizabeth A. "Styphelia rufa". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "Leucopogon rufus". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ a b Brown, Elizabeth A. "Leucopogon rufus". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ "Leucopogon rufus". APNI. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ William T. Stearn (1992). Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary (4th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 485.