''Gentiana wingecarribiensis'' is a flowering plant in the family

Gentianaceae Gentianaceae is a family of flowering plants of 103 genera and about 1600 species. Etymology The family takes its name from the genus '' Gentiana'', named after the Illyrian king Gentius. Distribution Distribution is cosmopolitan. Characteri ...

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 New South Wales. It is a small, upright or decumbent annual herb with blue to mauve flowers.

Description

''Gentiana wingecarribiensis'' is a small, smooth, upright or decumbent annual herb, high, and is quick growing but short-lived. The stems may be simple or sparingly branched, occasionally up to nine branches each with a single flower, upper surface finely rough, lower surface often with a red or purple tinge. The dark green leaves are

cauline 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 ...

in opposite pairs of 4-7, wide to oblong egg-shaped, long and wide. The flowers are borne singly at the end of branches, between 1 and 9 on each plant. The corolla is narrowly bell-shaped, long, about in diameter, blue on the interior, ribbed and greenish on outer surface. The flowers open in response to sunshine and warm temperatures. Flowering occurs mainly from September to November and the fruit is an upright capsule, egg-shaped, long, flared at the apex and contains several hundred light brown seeds.

Taxonomy and naming

''Gentiana wingecarribiensis'' was first formally described in 1988 by Laurence George Adams and the description was published in '' Telopea''. 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 ...

(''wingecarribiensis'') is in reference to the swamp where it was originally found.

Distribution and habitat

This gentiana is only known from two locations in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, it grows in peatland swamps, grasslands and swamp margins.

Conservation status

''Gentiana wingecarribiensis'' is classified as "critically endangered" under the New South Wales

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15562227 wingecarribiensis Flora of New South Wales