''Lasiopetalum baueri'', commonly known as slender velvet bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

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 south-eastern Australia. It is a small, greyish shrub with more or less linear to narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic leaves and groups of white or pink flowers.

Description

''Lasiopetalum baueri'' is a greyish, densely foliaged, spreading shrub high and wide, its new growth prominently covered with red-brown hair. The leaves are linear to narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, long and wide on a petiole long, the margins flat or turned downwards. Hairy below, they become smooth above over time. The flowers are arranged in sometimes crowded groups of two to six with three bracteoles long at the base. 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 and usually pink or white with a green base, the outer surface densely covered with star-shaped hairs. The petals are less than long and the

anther 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 filam ...

s are reddish-brown and about long. Flowering occurs from September to November and the fruit is a densely hairy capsule in diameter.

Taxonomy

''Lasiopetalum baueri'' was first formally described in 1806 by Joachim Steetz 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 the botanical illustrator Ferdinand Bauer. 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 ...

(''baueri'') honours the collector of the type specimens.

Distribution and habitat

Slender velvet bush is found in southern

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 ...

, central and western Victoria, and southwestern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

where it is confined to the vicinity of Rankins Springs, and in the north-east of

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

. It grows in mallee communities or coastal cliffs on sandy soil over limestone, the top layer of soil often neutral to acidic, while the subsoil is highly alkaline.

Conservation status

This lasiopetalum is listed as "rare" under the Tasmanian Government ''

Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 The ''Threatened Species Protection Act 1995'' (TSP Act), is an act of the Parliament of Tasmania that provides the statute relating to conservation of flora and fauna. Its long title is An Act to provide for the protection and management of th ...

''.

Use in horticulture

''Lasiopetalum baueri'' can be readily grown in dryer climates in well-drained soils and sunny aspects, and is used as a windbreak or hedge. It responds well to being pruned. It was introduced into cultivation in England in 1868. The dried flowers are long-lasting and have potential as a cut flower.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15051914 baueri Malvales of Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia)