''Leionema oldfieldii'' is a small shrub 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 ...

to mountainous locations in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. It has dark green leaves, compact pale pink to white flowers from November to January.

Description

''Leionema oldfieldii'' is a small, compact shrub to high. The branchlets are more or less needle-shaped, with usually star to upright shaped soft hairs. The leaves are leathery, smooth, shiny, egg-shaped to oblong-elliptic, long, wide, flat with slightly rolled edges and finely scalloped toward the rounded apex. 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 ...

is a tight group of terminal, pale pink to white flowers on a fleshy, 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 with two small

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 ...

near the base. The petals are elliptic, spreading, about long and smooth. The stamens are slightly longer than the petals. Flowering occurs from late spring to early summer.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1858 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

and gave it the name ''Eriostemon oldfieldii'' and the description was published in '' Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae''. In 1998 Paul G. Wilson changed the name to ''Leionema oldfieldii'' and the name change 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 ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

''Leionema oldfieldii'' grows in mountainous areas of the south and west coasts of Tasmania.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15392564 oldfieldii Sapindales of Australia Flora of Tasmania Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller