''Lasiopetalum discolor'', commonly known as coast 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 coastal areas of southern Australia. It is an erect, spreading or sprawling shrub with hairy stems, oblong to egg-shaped leaves and pink or white flowers.

Description

''Lasiopetalum discolor'' is a spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of , its stems covered with star-shaped hairs. The leaves are broadly oblong to egg-shaped, long, wide and leathery, the lower surface covered with star-shaped hairs. The flowers are up to in diameter and arranged in pendulous heads of ten or more and are

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

or on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

up to long. There are three linear bracteoles at the base of 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, the sepals long, pink or white and densely hairy on the back. The petals are reddish-brown, long and 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. Flowering occurs from June December and the fruit is in diameter.

Taxonomy

''Lasiopetalum discolor'' was first formally described in 1836 by

William Jackson Hooker Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botanic garden. At Kew he ...

in the ''Companion to the Botanical Magazine'' from specimens collected by James Backhouse "on Prince Seal Island, Basse's Straits". 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 ...

(''discolor'') refers to the upper surface of the leaves being a darker green than the lower surface.

Distribution and habitat

This lasiopetalum grows in sand on coastal dunes and limestone along the south coast of Western Australia and South Australia, on

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

islands and the north-west coast of Tasmania.

Conservation status

''Lasiopetalum discolor'' 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 ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17580160 discolor Malvales of Australia Flora of Western Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of Tasmania Plants described in 1836 Taxa named by William Jackson Hooker