''Leucopogon amplexicaulis'', commonly known as beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and 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 eastern New South Wales. It is a scrambling or straggly shrub with egg-shaped, stem-clasping leaves with hairy edges, and spikes of small white flowers.

Description

''Leucopogon amplexicaulis'' is a weak, scrambling or straggly shrub that typically grows to a height of up to , its branchlets covered with fine hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped and stem-clasping with a heart-shaped base, long and wide on a petiole long. The edges of the leaf are fringed and the lower surface is covered with soft or velvety hairs. The flowers are white and arranged in groups of three to twelve along spikes up to long and longer than the leaves. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are long with bracteoles long at the base. The petal tube is long with lobes long with soft hairs inside the tube. Flowering occurs from July to October and is followed by flattened, glabrous

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

about long.

Taxonomy

Beard heath was first formally described in 1807 by

Edward Rudge Edward Rudge (27 June 1763 – 1846) was an English botanist and antiquary. Life He was the son of Edward Rudge, a merchant and alderman of Salisbury, who possessed a large portion of the abbey estate at Evesham. He matriculated from Queen's ...

who gave it the name ''Styphelia amplexicaulis'' in '' Transactions of the Linnean Society of London'' from specimens collected near

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

. In 1810, Robert Brown changed the name to ''Leucopogon amplexicaulis'' in his '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae''. The species name is

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 ...

for "stem-clasping" and refers to the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

''Leucopogon amplexicaulis'' ranges from the

Sydney Basin The Sydney Basin is an interim Australian bioregion and is both a structural entity and a depositional area, now preserved on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia and with some of its eastern side now subsided beneath the Tasman Sea. ...

south to

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses t ...

on the New South Wales

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

. It is found on sandstone soils in

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaf, leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is paral ...

forest, where it grows in sheltered locations on sandstone outcrops and platforms, often near natural seepage. In the Sydney region it is associated with trees such as Sydney peppermint (''

Eucalyptus piperita ''Eucalyptus piperita'', commonly known as Sydney peppermint and urn-fruited peppermint, is a small to medium forest tree native to New South Wales, Australia. Description It has grey, rough and finely fibrous bark on its trunk, but its branche ...

''), red bloodwood ('' Corymbia gummifera'') and smooth-barked apple (''

Angophora costata ''Angophora costata'', commonly known as Sydney red gum, rusty gum or smooth-barked apple, is a species of tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. Reaching in height, the species has distinctive smooth bark that is pinkish or orange-brown wh ...

''), and with shrubs such as heath banksia ('' Banksia ericifolia''), coral fern (''

Gleichenia dicarpa ''Gleichenia dicarpa'', commonly known as pouched coral fern or tangle fern, is a small fern of the family Gleicheniaceae found in eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. It forms tangled thickets in wet places such as swamps and rive ...

'') and dog rose (''

Bauera rubioides ''Bauera rubioides'', commonly known as river rose, dog rose or wiry bauera, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cunoniaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a scrambling, tangled shrub with wiry branches, wikt:trifoliat ...

'').

Ecology

Plants live between twenty and thirty years, and become more common in areas long unburnt by bushfire. ''Leucopogon amplexicaulis'' is killed by fire and regenerates by seed. The seeds are thought to possibly be dispersed by ants. Beard-heath is killed by fire and regenerates by seed.

Use in horticulture

Members of the genus ''Leucopogon'' are seldom cultivated, as their propagation by seed or cutting can be difficult. ''L. amplexicaulis'' requires a well-drained site with ample moisture and dappled shade in a garden situation. They can be grown in humus-enriched and well-drained soil. They best grown in full sun, which keeps the growth compact, and may benefit from light trimming. If they are propagated from seed, they mostly need scarification or prolonged soaking, of from layers or half-hardened tip cuttings. For growing in gardens, they must have a well-drained site with ample moisture and dappled shade with a cool root run provided by large stones. It is mainly used for ornamental purposes in home gardens and public parks. They are also displayed at botanical gardens for educational purposes. It also has decorative value and can be used to make bouquets.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6534223 amplexicaulis Ericales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1807 Taxa named by Edward Rudge