Epacris gnidioides

Epacris gnidioides is a species of heath endemic to the Budawang Ranges of New South Wales, Australia. Previous names are Rupicola gnidioides and Budawangia gnidioides.

Epacris gnidioides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Epacris
Species:
E. gnidioides
Binomial name
Epacris gnidioides
(Summerh.) E.A.Br.
Synonyms

Rupicola gnidioides Summerh.
Budawangia gnidioides (Summerh.) I.Telford

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described as Rupicola gnidioides by Victor Summerhayes in 1927. In 1992, it was separated from Rupicola into a new monotypic genus Budawangia by Ian Telford.[1][2] In 2015, Budawangia and Rupicola were merged into the larger genus Epacris, with the new binomial combination attributed to Elizabeth Anne Brown.[2] "Epacris gnidioides (Summerh.) E.A.Br." is an accepted name for the Australian Plant Census (APC).[3]

Description

[Unless otherwise noted, descriptions below are adapted from Telford 1992.[1]]

Plants of this species are found in cliff habitats and are adapted to rocky environments. They are rhizomatous with naked stems that grow along cracks in the rock-face.

Emergent stems are decumbent to erect, up to 40 cm long. Leaves are small (5–8 mm long), narrow (1–2 mm wide), and lanceolate, with three longitudinal veins and short petioles. The stems and leaves are covered in fine hairs.

Small, white flowers are produced in the southern spring from September to December. Like other epacrids, the flowers are carried singly in the leaf axils near the ends of the stems. The lobes of the corolla are longer than the tube. Filaments of the stamens are longer than the anthers, which are outside the mouth of the corolla.

Flowers and fruit are 5-lobed. The fruit is a capsule that splits along the locules to release the seeds.

Distribution

Limited to the northern Budawang Ranges, south-west of Nowra, most known populations are within Morton National Park.[1]:232–233

References

  1. Telford, Ian R. H. (30 September 1992). "Budawangia and Rupicola, new and revised genera of Epacridaceae". Telopea. Sydney: Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. 5 (1): 229–239. doi:10.7751/telopea19924966. ISSN 0312-9764.
  2. Quinn, Christopher J.; Crowden, Ronald K.; Brown, Elizabeth A.; Southam, Michael J.; Thornhill, Andrew H.; Crayn, Darren M. (10 September 2015). "A reappraisal of the generic concepts of Epacris, Rupicola and Budawangia (Ericaceae, Epacridoideae, Epacrideae) based on phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular data". Australian Systematic Botany. 28 (1): 63–77. doi:10.1071/SB13009. ISSN 1446-5701. S2CID 85849925. (DOI paywalled, proof copy at .)
  3. Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH). "APNI name 4535425, Epacris gnidioides (Summerh.) E.A.Br". Australian Plant Names Index. Retrieved 27 September 2020.


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