''Leionema lachnaeoides'', is a tall shrub with aromatic leaves and yellow flowers from winter to late spring. It is restricted to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

Description

''Leionema lachnaeoides'' is a tall shrub to high with white stems covered in fine, smooth, silver star-shaped hairs quickly becoming smooth. The leaves are 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 ...

, long, wide, arranged alternately along the branches on a flattened petiole, with a slight upward curve and ending in a point. The leaf upper and lower side and edges are smooth, surface leathery, margins rolled under almost obscuring the paler underside. The flowers are borne singly on a short peduncle about long in upper leaf axils and covered in soft star-shaped hairs. The

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 ...

is fleshy and about long with 4 tiny

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 ...

at the base. The green calyx lobes are triangular-shaped, about long and smooth. The spreading, five yellow flower petals are narrowly oval shaped, about long, smooth and dotted with glands. The 5 prominent, yellow stamens only slightly longer than the petals. The dry fruit are rounded with a distinctive long beak and the seed is dispersed on maturity in early summer. Flowering occurs between winter and late spring.

Taxonomy and naming

This species was described in 1825 by Allan Cunningham, but the name was changed to ''Leionema lachnaeoides'' 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 ...

(''lachnaeoides'') is from the Greek ''lachne''- meaning "soft wool" and -''oides'' meaning "resembling" a reference to the hairiness of the species.

Distribution and habitat

''Leionema lachnaeoides'' grows on rocky outcrops, among heath and scrubland west of Katoomba in the Blue Mountain and from

Shipley Plateau Shipley Plateau is located south of Blackheath, New South Wales in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. Faced with sandstone escarpments, the plateau is accessible by road and some of the land area is planted with fruit orchards. ...

, Blackheath.

Conservation status

This species is classified as "endangered" under the

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

due to factors including weed invasion, altered drainage and fire regimes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15393804 lachnaeoides Sapindales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Taxa named by Allan Cunningham (botanist)