''Leucopogon apiculatus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It is an erect shrub with oblong to elliptic leaves and pink to white tube-shaped flowers.

Description

''Leucopogon apiculatus'' is an erect, openly-branched shrub that typically grows to a height of and has oblong to elliptic leaves long with a sharply-pointed tip. 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 about long with narrowly lance-shaped

bract 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 ...

s at the base, the petals white to pink, the petal tube and the petal lobes about the same length as the sepals. Flowering occurs from July to November.

Taxonomy

''Leucopogon apiculatus'' was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. 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 ...

(''apiculatus'') means "abruptly ending in a small point", referring to the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This leucopogon grows in sandy or stony soils on granite outcrops, hills and rocky slopes in near-coastal areas of southern Western Australia, from Cape Le Grand National Park in the west to

Cape Arid National Park Cape Arid National Park is a List of national parks of Australia, national park located in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is situated east of Esperance, Western Australia, Esperance and lies on the shore of the South coast of W ...

in the east, including on the islands of the Recherche Archipelago, in the

Esperance Plains Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a pl ...

and Mallee bioregions of southern Western Australia.

Conservation status

''Leucopogon apiculatus'' is listed as " Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

, meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17243488 apiculatus Ericales of Australia Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1810 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)