''Lasiopetalum trichanthera'' 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 a restricted area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect to straggling, sticky shrub with many hairy stems, egg-shaped leaves and bright pink and dark red flowers.

Description

''Lasiopetalum trichanthera'' is an erect to straggling, sticky shrub typically high and wide, its many stems covered with rust-coloured and white, star-shaped hairs, at least when young. The leaves are egg-shaped with a heart-shaped base, long and wide on a petiole long. The leaves are covered with white and rust-coloured, star-shaped hairs, densely so on the lower surface, but become

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

with age. The flowers are arranged in loose groups of three to seven on a rusty-hairy peduncle long, each flower 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 ...

long with a narrowly egg-shaped

bract 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 of ...

long at the base. There are three

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 of ...

long 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 are bright pink with a dark red base, the lobes long, and hairy on the back. There are no petals, the

anthers 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 ...

are densely hairy, dark red and long on filaments about long. Flowering has been recorded from October to February and the fruit is long and hairy.

Taxonomy

''Lasiopetalum trichanthera'' was first formally described in 2015 by

Kelly Anne Shepherd Kelly Anne Shepherd (born 1970) is an Australian botanist, who has published some 91 names. Career Shepherd earned a B.Sc. (Hon) in 1992 with a thesis entitled "Faecal Analysis of Mammalian Herbivores in the Perup Forest, Western Australia." ...

and Carolyn F. Wilkins in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'' from specimens collected in Bobakine Nature Reserve in 2005. 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 ...

(''trichanthera'') means "hairy anthers".

Distribution and habitat

This lasiopetalum is only known from two small populations in nature reserves near Northam, where it grows in woodland with a shrubby understorey.

Conservation status

''Lasiopetalum trichanthera'' is listed as " Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

, meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q111654893

trichanthera ''Trichanthera'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to central and southern tropical America. The genus was first described by Carl Sigismund Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850), also Karl ...

Malvales of Australia Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 2015