''Ampera xiphloclada,'' commonly known as ‘broom

spurge ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

’, is a grass-like erect shrub in the

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Description

The smooth relatively thin branched, erect

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

is often lime green with dull, light brown sessile clustered

flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

Distribution

''Ampera xipholoclada'' is found throughout

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

’s eastern and southern coastal areas and inland ranges, as well as much of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. Distribution and populations are relatively stable.

Habitat

This species is found in

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, and shrub (also known as heath areas in Australia) habitats. ''Ampera sp.'' prefers, a dry place, or by moist well-drained soils.

Taxonomy

Leaves and stems

What appear to be long leaves like a

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

grass clump, the erect structures are instead glabrous stems, smooth and mainly hairless. This plant is almost leafless. During its flowering life stage, it is completely leafless, likely to put more energy into reproduction.

Flowers

Flowering occurs sectionally along the glabrous stem typically from September to February, dependent on the season. Flowers occur in sessile clusters (

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

) or with

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

(part of the stalk that helps the cluster). As this species is mainly dioecious the male and female flowers remain separate and are found on different individuals, rather than one plant having

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

flowers.

Reproduction and fruit

The fruit is small with three sections in the 2-4mm capsule, which contains the 1.5-2.5mm long, shiny black ovoid seeds.

Uses and planting

Plants in the Euphorbiaceae family have diverse uses, but must be treated with caution as a large proportion of species are

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

, either in the seeds or in the flesh of stems. However, some genus's' can be used as a source of

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

, fruit, dyes and have traditionally been used for medicinal purposes. ''Ampera xiphloclada'' can be used for ground coverage and as an understory plant, and when given access to sunlight it can create a hedge-like feature.

References

Acalyphoideae Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of South Australia Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia) {{Euphorbiaceae-stub