Leucopogon foliosus
| Leucopogon foliosus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Leucopogon |
| Species: | L. foliosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Leucopogon foliosus | |
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Leucopogon foliosus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with hairy young branchlets, spirally arranged, erect, linear, narrowly egg-shaped to narrowly elliptic leaves, and white, narrowly bell-shaped flowers.
Description
[edit]Leucopogon foliosus is a spreading shrub that typically grows up to about 40 cm (16 in) high and wide, usually with a single stem at the base, its young branchlets covered with short hairs. The leaves are spirally arranged and point upwards, linear to narrowly egg-shaped or narrowly elliptic, 5–11 mm (0.20–0.43 in) long and 0.8–1.8 mm (0.031–0.071 in) wide on a petiole 0.4–0.8 mm (0.016–0.031 in) long. The flowers are arranged in groups of 3 to 8, 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long mostly on the ends of branches, with leaf-like bracts and egg-shaped bracteoles 1.7–2.7 mm (0.067–0.106 in) long and 1.0–1.2 mm (0.039–0.047 in) wide. The sepals are narrowly egg-shaped, 3.2–5.0 mm (0.13–0.20 in) long and sometimes tinged with purple near the tip, the petals white and joined at the base to form a narrowly bell-shaped tube 1.8–2.8 mm (0.071–0.110 in) long, the lobes 3.2–3.8 mm (0.13–0.15 in) long and often tinged with pink. Flowering mainly occurs from October to December and the fruit is a narrowly elliptic drupe 2.6–2.8 mm (0.10–0.11 in) long.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]Leucopogon foliosus was first formally described in 2016 by Michael Hislop in the journal Nuytsia from specimens he collected in Badgingarra National Park in 2004.[3][4] The specific epithet (foliosus) means "leafy", "many-leaved", referring to the leafy inflorescence of this species.[3]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]This leucopogon grows in heath between Mount Lesueur and a little south of Cataby in the Geraldton Sandplains bioregion of south-western Western Australia.[3][1]
Conservation status
[edit]Leucopogon foliosus is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[1] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[5]
References
[edit]
- ^ a b c "Leucopogon foliosus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Leucopogon foliosus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d Hislop, Michael (2016). "New species of Leucopogon s. str. (Ericaceae: Epacridoideae: Styphelieae) from the Geraldton Sandplains" (PDF). Nuytsia. 27 (1): 222–225. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Leucopogon foliosus". APNI. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 8 November 2022.