Homoranthus decumbens

Homoranthus decumbens is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Queensland. It is a low, spreading shrub with cylindrical leaves arranged in alternating opposite pairs. The flowers are yellowish green and arranged singly in upper leaf axils.[2][3][4]

Homoranthus decumbens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Homoranthus
Species:
H. decumbens
Binomial name
Homoranthus decumbens
Byrnes Craven & S.R.Jones[1]
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]
  • Darwinia decumbens Byrnes

Description

Flowers September to December and fruits October to December.[5]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1984 by Norman Byrnes who gave it the name of Darwinia decumbens and published the description in Austrobaileya.[6] In 1991, Lyndley Craven and S.R.Jones changed the name to Homoranthus decumbens.[7] The specific epithet (decumbens) is a Latin word meaning "lying down" or "reclining".[8]

Distribution and habitat

Found in a small area north of Chinchilla Queensland. Grows on deep sandy soils in heath and shrubby woodland on flat terrain.[5]

Conservation

Homoranthus decumbens is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government EPBC Act of 1999.[4] A very rare species with a highly restricted distribution. A ROTAP code of 2VC is appropriate, Briggs and Leigh (1996). IUCN (2010) considered vulnerable.[5]

References
  1. "Homoranthus decumbens". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Byrnes, Norman B. (1984). "A new species of genus Darwinia (Myrtaceae) for Queensland". Austrobaileya. 2 (1): 15–16.
  3. Bean, Tony; Mayhew, Melissa. "Homoranthus decumbens". The State of Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  4. "Approved Conservation Advice for Homoranthus decumbens (a shrub)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  5. Copeland, Lachlan M.; Craven, Lyn A.; Bruhl, Jeremy J. (2011). "A taxonomic review of Homoranthus (Myrtaceae: Chamelaucieae)". Australian Systematic Botany. 24 (6): 351. doi:10.1071/SB11015.
  6. "Darwinia decumbens". APNI. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  7. "Homoranthus decumbens". APNI. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  8. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 255.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.