''Conostephium uncinatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with clustered, narrowly oblong leaves with hooked tips, and spindle-shaped flowers.

Description

''Conostephium uncinatum'' is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of . Its leaves are clustered, narrowly oblong, long and about wide on a petiole long, with the edges rolled under and a hooked tip. The flowers are arranged singly in upper leaf axils and are long, wide and more or less

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

, the bracteoles nearly as long as the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s. The sepals are long, papery and shiny, the petal tube spindle-shaped, and about wide. This species is similar to '' C. minus'' and '' C. marchantiorum'' but has leaves with the edges more tightly turned under, and shorter flower parts.

Taxonomy and naming

''Conostephium uncinatum'' was first formally described in 1987 by Paul G.van der Moezel in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'' from specimens he collected near

Grass Patch Grass Patch is a small town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located 79 km north of Esperance on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway. The town was named after a nearby farm of the same name that had been settled arou ...

in 1982. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''uncinatum'') means "hooked" and refers to the tip of the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This conostephium grows in deep, sandy soils between Grass Patch and Clyde Hill in the

Mallee bioregion Mallee, also known as Roe Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia. Located between the Esperance Plains, Avon Wheatbelt and Coolgardie bioregions, it has a low, gently undulating topography, a semi-arid me ...

of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status

''Conostephium uncinatum'' is listed as " Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

, meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15372283 uncinatum Epacridoideae Eudicots of Western Australia Ericales of Australia Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1987