Waltheria virgata

Waltheria virgata is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is found in the north of Western Australia,[3] and in the Northern Territory.[4]

Waltheria virgata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Waltheria
Species:
W. virgata
Binomial name
Waltheria virgata

Description

Waltheria virgata is an erect, much branched shrub growing from a height of 0.3 m to 1 m high, and up to 1 m wide.[3] Its leaves and stems are thinly to densely covered in stellate (star-shaped) hairs.[4] Its pink-purple flowers may be seen from April to May or July to October.[3]

Habitat

It grows on red sand and stony soils, on plains, on rocky hills, and in stony creeks.[3]

Taxonomy and naming

It was first described in 1917 by Alfred James Ewart & Isabel Clifton Cookson.[1][2] There are no synonyms.[1][5] The specific epithet, virgata, derives from the Latin word, virga, "a rod for beating", to give a Botanical Latin adjective describing the plant as having "straight slender not very flexible twigs".[6] The genus name, Waltheria, honours the German botanist Augustin Friedrich Walther.[7]

References
  1. "Waltheria virgata". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. Ewart, A.J. & Davies, O.B. (1917). "Waltheria virgata". The Flora of the Northern Territory. p. 190.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "Waltheria virgata". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  4. "NT Flora: Waltheria virgata". eflora.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  5. "Waltheria virgata Ewart & Cookson | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. "virgatus,-a,-um". www.plantillustrations.org. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. Quattrocchi, U. (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. 4 R-Z. Taylor & Francis US. p. 2817. ISBN 978-0-8493-2678-3.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.