''Epacris obtusifolia'', commonly known as blunt-leaf heath, is a species of flowering plant from the heath 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 eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with few stems, crowded, oblong to elliptic leaves and tube-shaped white or cream-coloured flowers arranged along the stems.

Description

''Epacris obtusifolia'' is an erect shrub, usually with few stems, that typically grows to a height of and has softly-hairy branchlets. The leaves are oblong to elliptic, long and wide on a petiole long, the base wedge-shaped and the tip blunt. The flowers are arranged along up to of the stems, on a

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

up to 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 petals white or cream-coloured, and joined at the base to form a cylindrical or bell-shaped tube long with lobes long. Flowering occurs throughout the year with a peak from July to January.

Taxonomy

''Epacris obtusifolia'' was first formally described in 1804 by

James Edward Smith James Edward Smith may refer to: * James Edward Smith (botanist), English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society * James Edward Smith (murderer), American murderer * James Edward Smith (politician), Canadian businessman and mayor of Toronto * ...

in his ''Exotic Botany''. 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 ...

(''obtusifolia'') means "blunt-leaved".}

Distribution and habitat

Blunt-leaf heath grows in swampy areas and heathland in eastern Australia. It occurs along the coast and nearby tablelands of south-eastern Queensland and eastern New South Wales, southern Victoria and Tasmania.

Ecology

In the Sydney region, ''E. obtusifolia'' is associated with such plants as coral fern (''

Gleichenia dicarpa ''Gleichenia dicarpa'', commonly known as pouched coral fern or tangle fern, is a small fern of the family Gleicheniaceae found in eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. It forms tangled thickets in wet places such as swamps and rive ...

''), swamp banksia (''

Banksia robur ''Banksia robur'', commonly known as swamp banksia, or less commonly broad-leaved banksia, grows in sand or peaty sand in coastal areas from Cooktown in north Queensland to the Illawarra region on the New South Wales south coast. It is often fou ...

''), and the sedge '' Lepidosperma limicola''. Plants live between ten and twenty years, and are killed by fire and regenerate from seed which lies dormant in the soil. The seedlings reach flowering age within four years.

Use in horticulture

''Epacris obtusifolia'' can be propagated by cutting and requires a well-drained yet moist position in the garden. It was first cultivated in the United Kingdom in 1804.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3016668 obtusifolia Ericales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of Tasmania Plants described in 1804 Taxa named by James Edward Smith