''Daviesia trigonophylla'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
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 south of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with elliptic or egg-shaped
phyllode
Phyllodes are modified petioles or leaf stems, which are leaf-like in appearance and function. In some plants, these become flattened and widened, while the leaf itself becomes reduced or vanishes altogether. Thus the phyllode comes to serve the ...
s that are triangular in cross-section, and orange, dark red and maroon flowers.
Description
''Daviesia trigonophylla'' is an erect, bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of up to and has winged branchlets. Its phyllodes are elliptic to egg-shaped, triangular in cross-section, long and wide and sharply-pointed. The flowers are arranged in a group of three in leaf axils on a
peduncle about long, the
rachis long, each flower on a
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
long. 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 are long, the two upper lobes joined for most of their length and the lower three triangular. The
standard petal is elliptic with a notched tip, long, wide, and orange with a dark red base and two pale yellow spots. The
wings are long and maroon, the
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
long and maroon. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is an inflated triangular
pod
Pod or POD may refer to:
Biology
* Pod (fruit), a type of fruit of a flowering plant
* Husk or pod of a legume
* Pod of whales or other marine mammals
* "-pod", a suffix meaning "foot" used in taxonomy
Electronics and computing
* Proper ort ...
long.
Taxonomy
''Daviesia trigonophylla'' was first formally described in 1848 by
Carl Meissner in
Lehmann's ''
Plantae Preissianae
''Plantae preissianae sive enumeratio plantarum quas in australasia occidentali et meridionali-occidentali annis 1838-1841 collegit Ludovicus Preiss'', more commonly known as ''Plantae preissianae'', is a book written by Johann Georg Christian Leh ...
''.
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 ...
(''trigonophylla'') means "triangular-leaved", referring to the cross-sectional shape of the phyllodes.
Distribution and habitat
This daviesia usually grows in
mallee in the
Stirling Range
The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth. It is over wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranb ...
and nearby coastal areas in the
Avon Wheatbelt,
Esperance Plains
Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a pl ...
and
Jarrah Forest
Jarrah forest is tall open forest in which the dominant overstory tree is ''Eucalyptus marginata'' (jarrah). The ecosystem occurs only in the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia. It is most common in the biogeographic region named in ...
bioregions of southern Western Australia.
Conservation status
''Daviesia trigonophylla'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia
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 ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15532933
trigonophylla
Rosids of Western Australia
Plants described in 1848
Taxa named by Carl Meissner