''Epacris'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about forty species of

flowering plant 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 ...

s in the family Ericaceae. It was formerly treated in a closely related but separate family Epacridaceae, but the various

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

within

Epacridaceae 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 ...

including ''Epacris'' have been revised in their relationships to each other and brought under the common umbrella of the Ericaceae. The genus ''Epacris'' is native to eastern and southeastern

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 ...

(southeast

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

south to

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

and west to southeast

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. The species are known as

heaths A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

or Australian heaths.

Description

Plants in the

''Epacris'' are shrubs with simple leaves that are a similar colour on both surfaces and with flowers arranged singly in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s near the ends of the branches, sometimes extending along the branches. Each flower is surrounded by many

bract 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 ...

s and five, usually glabrous

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

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are joined to produce a cylindrical or bell-like tube with five lobes on the end. There are five

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s which are mostly enclosed in the tube, and a single style which protrudes from the tube. The fruit is a capsule.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Epacris'' was first formally described in 1797 by Antonio José Cavanilles, who published the description in ''Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum''. Cavanilles did not specify a

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

species but in 1983

Edward Groesbeck Voss Edward Groesbeck "Ed" Voss (February 22, 1929 – February 13, 2012) was an American botanist and expert on taxonomic nomenclature. Voss was born in Delaware, Ohio, received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan in 1954 and spen ...

nominated ''

Epacris longiflora ''Epacris longiflora'', commonly known as fuchsia heath or cigarette flower, is a plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with egg-shaped, pointed leaves and red tube-shaped flowers whi ...

'' as the lectotype. The genus name (''Epacris'') is derived from an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

word meaning "on the summit", referring to habitat preference.

Distribution

Species of ''Epacris'' are found in all Australian states except the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Three further species are found in

. The New Zealand species '' E. pauciflora'' has been reported from

, but this report is now regarded as an error.

Species

The following is a list of species recognised by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

or by the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network as at April 2022: * ''

Epacris acuminata ''Epacris acuminata '', commonly known as claspleaf heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath Family (biology), family Ericaceae and is Endemism, endemic to Tasmania. It is a small, spreading shrub with egg-shaped, stem-clasping leaves ...

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

(Tas.) * '' Epacris alpina''

Hook.f. 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 ...

(N.Z.) * '' Epacris apiculata''

A.Cunn. Allan Cunningham (13 July 1791 – 27 June 1839) was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in Australia to collect plants. Early life Cunningham was born in Wimbledon, Surrey, England, the son of Allan Cunnin ...

(N.S.W.) * '' Epacris apsleyensis'' Crowden (Tas.) * '' Epacris barbata'' Melville – bearded heath (Tas.) * '' Epacris breviflora'' Stapf – drumstick heath (Qld., N.S.W., Vic.) * '' Epacris browniae'' Coleby (N.S.W.) * ''

Epacris calvertiana ''Epacris calvertiana'' is a plant of the heath family, Ericaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect to diffuse shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with a sharp-pointed tip and with white, pink or red flowers arranged along th ...

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victo ...

(N.S.W.) * '' Epacris celata'' Crowden (N.S.W., Vic.) * '' Epacris cerasicollina'' Crowden (Tas.) * '' Epacris coriacea'' A.Cunn. ex DC. (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris corymbiflora'' Hook.f. (Tas.) * '' Epacris crassifolia'' R.Br. (N.S.W.) * ''

Epacris curtisiae ''Epacris curtisiae'' is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to north-western Tasmania. It is a shrub with egg-shaped to almost circular leaves and tube-shaped white flowers crowded in upper leaf axils. Desc ...

'' Jarman (Tas.) * '' Epacris decumbens'' ( I.Telford) E.A.Br. (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris exserta'' R.Br. – South Esk heath (Tas.) * '' Epacris franklinii'' Hook.f. (Tas.) * '' Epacris glabella'' Jarman – smooth heath (Tas.) * '' Epacris glacialis'' (F.Muell.) M.Gray (N.S.W., Vic.) * '' Epacris gnidioides'' (

Summerh. Victor Samuel Summerhayes (21 February 1897 – 27 December 1974) was an English botanist in charge of the orchid herbarium at Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew for 39 years. Summerhayes was born on 21 February 1897 at Street, Somerset and he was ...

) E.A.Br. (N.S.W. * '' Epacris grandis'' Crowden (Tas.) * '' Epacris graniticola'' Crowden (Tas.) * '' Epacris gunnii'' Hook.f. - coral heath (N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) * '' Epacris hamiltonii'' Maiden &

Betche Daniel Ludwig Ernst Betche (31 December 1851, in Potsdam – 28 June 1913, in Sydney) was a German-Australian horticulturist and botanist. His mother died at his birth and he was of delicate constitution all his life. His father was sufficient ...

(N.S.W.) * '' Epacris heteronema'' Labill. (Tas.) * ''

Epacris impressa ''Epacris impressa'', also known as common heath, is a plant of the heath family, Ericaceae, that is native to southeast Australia (the states of Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales). French botanist Jacques Labillardière co ...

'' Labill. - common or pink heath (Vic., N.S.W., S.A., Tas.) * '' Epacris lanuginosa'' Labill. - woolly-style heath (N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) * '' Epacris limbata'' K.J.Williams & F.Duncan (Tas.) * '' Epacris lithophila'' Crowden & Menadue (N.S.W.) * ''

'' Cav. - fuchsia heath (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Epacris marginata'' Melville (Tas.) * '' Epacris microphylla'' R.Br. - coral heath (Qld., N.S.W., Vic.) * '' Epacris moscaliana'' Crowden (Tas.) * '' Epacris mucronulata'' R.Br. (Tas.) * '' Epacris muelleri'' Sond. (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris myrtifolia'' Labill. (Tas.) * '' Epacris navicularis'' Jarman (Tas.) * '' Epacris obtusifolia''

Sm. __NOTOC__ Sir James Edward Smith (2 December 1759 – 17 March 1828) was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society. Early life and education Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a ...

- blunt-leaf heath (Qld., N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) * ''

Epacris paludosa ''Epacris paludosa'', commonly known as swamp heath, is a species of flowering plant from the heath family, Ericaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with lance-shaped, elliptic or egg-shaped leaves and tube-shap ...

'' R.Br. - swamp heath (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic., Tas.) * ''

Epacris pauciflora ''Epacris'' is a genus of about forty species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. It was formerly treated in a closely related but separate family Epacridaceae, but the various genera within Epacridaceae including ''Epacris'' have been ...

A.Rich. Achille Richard was a French botanist, botanical illustrator and physician (27 April 1794 in Paris – 5 October 1852). Biography Achille was the son of the botanist Louis-Claude Marie Richard (1754–1821). He was a pharmacist in the Frenc ...

- tamingi (N.Z.) * ''

Epacris petrophila ''Epacris petrophila'', commonly known as snow heath, is a species of flowering plant from the heath family, Ericaceae, and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect, bushy, sometimes low-lying shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic leave ...

'' Hook.f. - snow heath (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic., Tas.) * '' Epacris pilosa'' Crowden (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris pinoidea'' Crowden & Menadue (N.S.W.) * ''

Epacris pulchella ''Epacris pulchella'', commonly known as wallum heath or coral heath is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a slender, erect shrub with egg-shaped, pointed leaves and white or pinkish, t ...

'' Cav. – wallum heath (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Epacris purpurascens'' Banks ex Sims - Port Jackson heath (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris reclinata'' A.Cunn. ex Benth. (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris rhombifolia'' ( L.R.Fraser &

Vickery Vickery is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alice Vickery (1844–1929), English physician and campaigner for women's rights *Brian Campbell Vickery (1918–2009), British information scientist * Eben Vickery (1910–1 ...

) Menadue (N.S.W., Vic.) * '' Epacris rigida'' Sieber ex Spreng. - keeled heath (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris robusta'' Benth. – round-leaf heath (N.S.W., A.C.T.) * ''

Epacris serpyllifolia ''Epacris serpyllifolia''is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small low-lying or weakly erect shrub with heart-shaped to broadly egg-shaped leaves and tube-shaped white flowers crowded ...

'' R.Br. - thyme heath (Tas.) * '' Epacris sinclairii'' Hook.f. - thyme heath (N.Z.) * '' Epacris sparsa'' R.Br. (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris sprengelioides'' (Maiden & Betche) E.A.Br. (N.S.W.) * '' Epacris stuartii'' Stapf (Tas.) * '' Epacris tasmanica''

W.M.Curtis Winifred Mary Curtis (15 June 1905 – 14 October 2005) was a British-born Australian botanist, author and a pioneer researcher in plant embryology and cytology who played a prominent role in the department of botany at the University of Tasmani ...

(Tas.) * '' Epacris virgata'' Hook.f. (Tas.)

Images

Image:Epacris_microphylla.jpg, '' Epacris microphylla'' Image:Epacris_pulchella.jpg, ''

'' Image:Epacris purpurascens (Edwards).jpg, '' Epacris purpurascens''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2589976 Ericaceae genera