''Stenanthera conostephioides'', commonly known as flame heath, is a species of small shrub that 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 else ...

to south-eastern continental Australia. It has linear to lance-shaped leaves, red, tubular flowers and green, oval fruit turning dark red.

Description

''Stenanthera conostephioides'' is an erect or spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of . The leaves are thick, linear to lance-shaped, long and wide, with a pointed tip long. The flowers are red and occur singly, pendent and tube-like, more or less cylindrical and long. There are brownish bracts long and

bracteoles 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 o ...

long at the base of the flower, and 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 coine ...

s are brownish . The petal lobes are densely hairy on the inside near their tips. The anthers project beyond the end of the petal tube and the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

is long. The fruit is oval, about long and green tinged with maroon, later dark red. Flowering occurs from March to November.

Taxonomy and naming

''Stenanthera conostephioides'' was first formally described in 1845 by

Otto Wilhelm Sonder Otto Wilhelm Sonder (18 June 1812, Bad Oldesloe – 21 November 1881) was a German botanist and pharmacist. Life A native of Holstein, Sonder studied at Kiel University, where he sat pharmaceutical examinations in 1835, before becoming the pr ...

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 ...

'' from specimens collected by

Theodor Siemssen Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blueger ...

near Port Adelaide in 1839. The specific epithet (''conostephioides'') refers to the similarity of this species to a plant in the genus '' Conostephium''.

Distribution and habitat

Flame heath grows in mallee scrub and open forest in sandy soil. It is a common species, occurring in western Victoria and the south east of South Australia.

Ecology

The flowers of this species form an important part of the diet of

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The emu ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q218563 conostephioides Ericales of Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1845 Taxa named by Otto Wilhelm Sonder