''Leionema gracile'', commonly known as Mt Greville phebalium, is a shrub species 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 ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It is a small shrub with spreading leaves, white petals and flowers from autumn to spring.

Description

''Leionema gracile'' is a small shrub to high, branchlets warty, more or less

terete Terete is a term in botany used to describe a cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff/ref> This is us ...

or marginally angular with separated, soft, thin hairs between the ribs. The leaves are a spreading formation, mostly smooth, oval to elliptic-oval, long, wide, edges smooth and slightly rolled under, leathery, and blunt or rounded at the apex. The single flowers are borne in the highest branches in leaf axils on mostly smooth

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 small

bracts 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 ...

are hair-like about long and fall off early. The calyx lobes are triangular shaped and smooth. The white flower petals are spreading, narrowly oval, long and sharply pointed at the apex, stamens similar length of petals. The fruit are about long ending with a short beak. Flowering occurs from autumn to spring.

Taxonomy and naming

Mt Greville phebalium was first formally described as ''Phebalium gracile'', but the name was changed to ''Leionema gracile'' in 1998 by Paul G. Wilson and the description was published 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 ...

. 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 ...

''(gracile)'' is from the

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 ...

''gracilis'' meaning thin or slender.

Distribution and habitat

This species has a restricted distribution found growing at higher altitudes on

Mount Moon Mount Moon is a lightly timbered, dome-shaped mountain in the Scenic Rim, Queensland, Australia (). Its Indigenous name is Kibbobum. The mountain rises above sea level and is part of the Teviot Range and is within the Moogerah Peaks National P ...

and

Mount Greville Mount Greville is a cone-shaped and deeply fissured mountain in South East Queensland, Australia. The mountain rises 720 m above sea level and is part of the Moogerah Peaks National Park. It lies approximately south west of Brisbane just out ...

in south-eastern Queensland on rocky outcrops.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15393403 gracile Sapindales of Australia Flora of Queensland Taxa named by Paul G. Wilson