''Leionema sympetalum'', commonly known as Rylstone bell, is a shrub with greenish-yellow tubular flowers in small terminal clusters at the end of smooth, angular branches. It has a restricted distribution, grows near

Rylstone Rylstone is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated very near to Cracoe and about 6 miles south west of Grassington. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 160. Ryls ...

in New South Wales.

Description

''Leionema sympetalum'' is a small shrub to high with smooth, angular branches covered with star-shaped to minute, soft, upright hairs when young. The leaves are wedge shaped to elliptic long, wide, smooth, edges slightly recurved, mostly more or less finely toothed when dry, a prominent midrib on the underside and a blunt apex with a slight notch. 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 cluster of 1-3 flowers often pendulous at the end of branches, each on a slender, reddish stalk about long. The calyx are hemispherical, smooth, fleshy with wide-triangular lobes about long. The flowers are tubular, long, greenish yellow, petals splitting toward the apex turning upward with triangular tips and the stamens longer than the petals. The fruit are a capsule, each segment about high, ending with a short beak. Flowering occurs from winter to spring.

Taxonomy

Rylstone bell was first formally described by Paul G. Wilson in 1970 and gave it the name ''Phebalium sympetalum'', 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 ...

. In 1998 Wilson changed the name to ''Leionema sympetalum'' and published the name change in the journal Nuytsia.

Distribution and habitat

This species is confined to the ranges near Rylstone in

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 ...

growing in dry sclerophyll forests on rocky outcrops.

Conservation status

This species is classified as "vulnerable" by the Government of New South Wales

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 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15393264 sympetalum Sapindales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Taxa named by Paul Graham Wilson