''Diplolaena mollis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

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 west coast of Western Australia. It has broadly elliptic or egg-shaped, leathery leaves that are densely covered in hairs and reddish, pendulous flowers.

Description

''Diplolaena mollis'' is a shrub to high with broad egg-shaped or elliptic leaves. The leaves are usually long, leathery, wedge-shaped at the base, rounded at the apex, thickly covered in light tan, smooth, soft, weak star-shaped hairs on a petiole long. The flowers about in diameter, outer

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

broadly oval shaped to narrowly oblong, pointed, long, densely covered with soft, smooth, star-shaped hairs. The inner row of bracts barely longer than outer bracts, narrowly oblong, pointed, thin, almost hairless. The pale red petals about long with woolly star-shaped hairs to smooth. The stamens long, pale to dark red with star-shaped, soft, weak, fine hairs toward the base. Flowering occurs from May or July to September.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1998 by

Paul G. Wilson Paul Graham Wilson (born 1928) is an Australian botanist. He has been a most prolific contributor to the journal ''Nuytsia (journal), Nuytsia'', contributing to the first issue in 1970 and to the 12th volume in 1998, which was dedicated to him f ...

and the description was published 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 ...

Distribution and habitat

''Diplolaena mollis'' grows on the central west coast of Western Australia north of

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

Shark Bay Shark Bay (Malgana: ''Gathaagudu'', "two waters") is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/shark-bay area is located approximately north of Perth, on the ...

, in scrubland in sandy situations over limestone.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15389663 Sapindales of Australia Rosids of Western Australia Garden plants of Australia Taxa named by Paul G. Wilson Zanthoxyloideae