''Dracophyllum milliganii '' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...

and the sub-family Epacridoideae. It is a distinctive alpine shrub, endemic to western

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

Description

''Dracophyllum milliganii'' is grouped into two populations with significantly different appearances and habitats. In alpine and sub-alpine heathland it forms a graminoid shrub about 5 to 20 cm high with 20 cm curling leaves. In alpine

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

and wet sclerophyll forests, it forms a small tree or erect shrub with stems up to 4 metres and leaves 1 to 1.5 metres long, with a similar habit to

Richea pandanifolia ''Richea pandanifolia'', the pandani or giant grass tree, is a distinctive endemic Tasmanian angiosperm. It is dicot of the family Ericaceae and is found in central, western and south west Tasmania. It is a favourite among hikers and nature love ...

. Its leaves have serrulate margins (very finely toothed) and are dark green and grey brown when dead. The leaves are sheathing at the base and highly crowded. The inflorescence is a terminal flower spike with a thick red stem and small white to pink flowers fused into tubes. The leaves of ''D. milliganii'' are similar to

which forms a large erect tree in rainforests but has small flowers arising from the axis of the stem and highly serrate (toothed) leaf margins. File:Dracophyllum milliganii flower spike.jpg, Flower spike past flowering in

Mt Field National Park Mount Field National Park is a national park in Tasmania, Australia, 64 km northwest of Hobart, Australia, Hobart. The landscape ranges from eucalyptus temperate rainforest to alpine moorland, rising to 1,434 metres (4,705 ft) at the ...

File:Dracophyllum milliganii in habitat.jpg, Photo showing the high floristic diversity of alpine microshrubbery.

File:11621 NHMUK BOT BM000577676.jpg, Sample collected by

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of t ...

Habitat and distribution

''D. milliganii'' is endemic to western and south-western Tasmania. Found in alpine areas above 850 metres altitude, but can survive lower altitudes in its rainforest form. It is found in harsh, open alpine sites on peaty or well-drained rocky soils in areas of regular snow lie. Along with

Isophysis ''Isophysis'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and rhizomatous plants in the Iris family (Iridaceae). A monotypic genus formerly known as ''Hewardia'', it contains a single species,Royal Horticultural Society, Kew.A detailed checklist for ge ...

tasmanica its presence is useful in determining communities of Tasmanian highland treeless vegetation, as it appears in western alpine heathland (HHW) and cushion moorlands (HCM).

Taxonomy

The first formal European description of ''D. milliganii'' was by botanist

in his book

Flora Tasmaniae The ''Flora Tasmaniae'' is a description of the plants discovered in Tasmania during the Ross expedition written by Joseph Dalton Hooker and published by Reeve Brothers in London between 1855 and 1860. Hooker sailed on HMS ''Erebus'' as assistant ...

(1860)Mount Sorrell by Joseph Milligan, a surgeon and amateur naturalist who attended an expedition to

Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by the ...

in 1842. J.D Hooker named this and many other species after Milligan, calling him, "'one of the most indefatigable and able of Tasmanian botanists." J. D. Hooker named the genus ''

Dracophyllum ''Dracophyllum'' is a genus of plants belonging to the family Ericaceae, formerly Epacridaceae. There are 61 species in the genus, mostly shrubs, but also cushion plants and trees, found in New Zealand, Australia, Lord Howe Island and New Caledon ...

'' after the genus '' Dracaena'' or "dragon tree" for their superficially similar foliage.

Phylogeny

''Dracophyllum'' species are distributed around

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

with large amounts of species in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. The genus is closely related to ''

Richea ''Richea'' is a genus of 11 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. Nine of the species are endemic to Tasmania and the other two are endemic to the south-east of the Australian mainland. Species include: *'' Richea acerosa'' (Lin ...

'' and '' Sphenotoma'' and the relationships between ''D. milliganii'' and the other genera are still unclear.Venter, S."A taxonomic revision of the Australasian genera ''Dracophyllum'' and ''Richea'' (Richeeae: Styphelioideae: Ericaceae)" (2021) ''Australian Systematic Botany'',34. doi:10.1071/SB19049 There are two species of ''Dracophyllum'' in Tasmania, '' Dracophyllum minimum'' is a species of

cushion plant A cushion plant is a compact, low-growing, mat-forming plant that is found in alpine, subalpine, arctic, or subarctic environments around the world. The term "cushion" is usually applied to woody plants that grow as spreading mats, are limited in ...

and highly specialised for high wind areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5304668 milliganii Ericales of Australia Flora of Tasmania