''Leionema dentatum'', commonly known as toothed phebalium is a species of large shrub or small tree 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 elsew ...

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 ...

, Australia. It has variable leaves, slender branches and clusters of cream-yellow flowers in spring.

Description

''Leionema dentatum'' is a shrub or small tree to high with slender more or less needle-shaped stems. The leaves are variable and may be narrowly oblong or elliptic, lance shaped or linear, long, wide, smooth, apex squared or blunt with two teeth, margins rolled under or upward more or less toothed, underside white with star shaped hairs and a raised midrib. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

consists of about 10 flowers on an angled peduncle long, individual flowers on a slender

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 ...

about long. The calyx lobes are a wide-triangular shape and fleshy. The light yellow to white petals about long, smooth and dotted with glands. The fruit sit upright on the stem are about long and end in a small distinct point.

Taxonomy and naming

''Leionema dentatum'' was first formally described in 1998 by Paul G. Wilson and the description was published in

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 ...

. 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 ...

''(dentatum)'' is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word meaning "toothed".

Distribution and habitat

This species grows mostly from

Gibraltar Range National Park Gibraltar Range is a national park in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, north-east of Glen Innes and north of Sydney. The Park is part of the Washpool and Gibraltar Range area of the World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Au ...

to the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

region in southern New South Wales on sandstone in dry sclerophyll forests.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15392763 dentatum Sapindales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Taxa named by James Edward Smith