''Leucopogon parviflorus'', commonly known as coast beard-heath or native currant, is a shrub or small tree in the family
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...
.
[ It is native to all Australian states and territories excluding the ]Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
and the ACT and also grows in New Zealand. The species can grow to between 1 and 5 metres in height and has leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
that are 11 to 29 mm long and 2.4 to 7.5 mm in width, often with curved tips. The white flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are around 15 mm long and are produced in spikes of 7 to 13. These occur throughout the year.
''Leucopogon parviflorus'' can grow in many differing conditions, from sandy dunes to rocky cliff faces, in sheltered or exposed weather conditions. However, it does grow most efficiently in sandier areas, with sufficient shelter from the elements. It is a significant food source to many Australian coastal birds and insects and relies on these animals for pollination and seed dispersion. It is also commercially cultivated by landscapers and florists to be used in coastal gardens and floral arrangements.
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described in 1803 by Henry Cranke Andrews
Henry Cranke Andrews (floruit, fl. 1794 – 1830), was an English botanist, botanical artist and engraver. As he always published as Henry C. Andrews, and due to difficulty finding records, the C. was often referred to as Charles, until a reco ...
in his work ''The Botanists Repository for New, and Rare plants 4'' under the basionym
In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...
''Styphelia parviflora'' as it was at first believed to belong to the Styphelia genus. It was then later reclassified in 1832 by John Lindley, under a new genus, and the accepted name of ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' in his book ''The Botanical Register
''The Botanical Register'', subsequently known as ''Edwards's Botanical Register'', was an illustrated horticultural magazine that ran from 1815 to 1847. It was started by the botanical illustrator Sydenham Edwards, who had previously illustrat ...
: 18''.
Common names of ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' include "coastal bearded heath" and "coast beard-heath" among other variations.
Etymology
The name of the genus '' Leucopogon'' is derived from Greek language. ''Leuco'' means white and ''pogon'' means beard in Greek, referring to the white "beard" of flowers that a mature shrub has. The species name ''parviflorus'' is derived from Latin meaning "small flower" with ''parvus'' meaning small and ''florus'' meaning flower.
Description
The size and appearance of the ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' ranges depending on the size and age of the plant. Its size can range from a medium sized shrub to a small tree, anywhere between 1 and 5 meters tall as a result of the age of the shrub and its exposure to the harsh weather conditions that occur on Australia's and New Zealand's coast lines.
Smaller, finer branches found on the shrub are “soft and hairy”. These small hairs allow the plant to be more drought tolerant as they prevent water loss. The appearance of the bark and trunk of the plant changes with age, with the trunk becoming much thicker and the bark developing into a deep dark brown with fine grooves and cracks throughout the body of the trunk as the shrub ages.
The leaves of ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' are stiff and smooth with leaves usually reaching lengths of 10-35mm. They are flat or slightly curved and oblanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...
(longer than it is wider, with the widest part being near the tip) to elliptic
In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special type of ellipse in ...
(oval, broadest at the middle) in shape. The leaves have smooth edges with faint veins that are more obviously visible when the leaf is dried. Leaf colour ranges from a pale yellow-green to a dark green on top with the bottom of the leaf always paler than the top. Younger plant growth is often a bright green.
It produces small, star-shaped white flowers that are furry on the inside. They produce a powerful, but sweet fragrance. These flowers occur in thick "spikes", which are unbranched flower-heads with flowers attached to the stem. at the end of the shrubs branches, or on the nodules between the stem and leaves that are usually 1-3cm long. The flowers at first opening, anthesis, may appear pale white or pale pink, and with age will develop into the shrubs’ signature bright white bloom. Bloom size ranges between 6 and 13mm in length.
''Leucopogon parviflorus'' is a fruit bearing shrub. It produces berries during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer months of November through January. The fruits are spherical 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'') ...
s, most commonly 3mm in diameter. When immature they are solid in texture and green in colour. As the fruit ripens over the summer, they mature into a fleshy, bright white berry. The "pip" of the fruit, which contains seeds, is orangey brown with a ridged surface.
Distribution and habitat
''Leucopogon parviflorus'' is native to Australia and grows widely across the entire coasts of the states of 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 ...
, Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. It also grows in the southern most parts of Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
and 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 ...
. The shrub also grows on the coastal areas of the Chatham Islands
The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...
in New Zealand. It is wide growing in Australia.
The shrub thrives in sandy dunes and flats, rocky cliff faces and headlands, and among coastal scrub and does best in soils that are a neutral pH. Since the 1970s studies have shown the shrub growing less in cliff and plateau environments, with an increase of growth in coastal habitats.
The ideal altitude for ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' is within 50 meters of sea level. The ideal rainfall for the shrub is 1200-1400mm per annum. It thrives best in dune scrub or low-open forests behind beaches, surrounded by other shrubs such as ''Acacia Sophorae
''Acacia sophorae'', commonly known as coastal wattle or coast wattle, is a wattle found in coastal and subcoastal south-eastern Australia from the Eyre Peninsula to southern Queensland. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of sallow wattle ...
''.
The shrub can grow in varying levels of exposure. It can grow in full sun exposure as well as in mid-shaded areas and is tolerant to strong coastal winds.
Ecology
''Leucopogon parviflorus'' is a perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
shrub that has multiple prolonged flowering sessions during the winter, spiring, and autumn months followed by a fruit bearing period in the summer.
It is a slow germinating plant, on average taking 6-18 months from dispersal to begin germination
Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...
. It is also a slow growing plant, taking at least 10 years to reach a notable size. The life span of ''L. parviflorus'' ranges from 20 to 100 years depending on growing conditions and environmental factors such as fire and drought.
''L. parviflorus'' relies on biotic pollination – pollination mediated by other animals. The main pollination vectors for the species are flying insects, notably honey bee
A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...
s and hover-flies. The corolla tube
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...
has a wide opening that allows pollinators open access to the stigma and stamen of the flower for efficient pollination. The fuzzy hairs on the flower petals also serve to aid in pollination as they are better able to catch pollen granules dispersed by the wind or pollinators.
Many parts of ''L. parviflorus'' are utilised by birds for either food or other uses. Smaller branches of the plant have been seen to be picked up by birds for nest construction. Rarely, birds are seen to feed off of parts of the plant other than the fruit. The only bird noted to feed off of the leaves, Australian native the crimson rosella
The crimson rosella (''Platycercus elegans'') is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The ...
, does so in the winter. Lewin's honeyeater
Lewin's honeyeater (''Meliphaga lewinii'') is a bird that inhabits the ranges along the east coast of Australia. It has a semicircular ear-patch, pale yellow in colour.
The name of this bird commemorates the Australian artist John Lewin.
Descri ...
is also noted to feed off of the nectar of ''L. parviflorus'' during the winter months. These occurrences are thought to happen due to either the lack of invertebrate food resources available to birds during the cooler months and/or lower invertebrate activity allowing nectar to collect in flowers where it otherwise would not when there is increased insect activity during warmer months. The bright white, sweet tasting berries of the ''L. parviflorus'' have been noted to supplement the diets of many coastal Australian birds, such as the yellow-faced honeyeater
The yellow-faced honeyeater (''Caligavis chrysops'') is a small to medium-sized bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. It takes its common and scientific names from the distinctive yellow stripes on the sides of its head. Its loud, clear ...
, the satin bowerbird
The satin bowerbird (''Ptilonorhynchus violaceus'') is a bowerbird endemic to eastern Australia.
A rare natural intergeneric hybrid between the satin bowerbird and the regent bowerbird is known as Rawnsley's bowerbird.
Description
Mature mal ...
, and the silver gull
The silver gull (''Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae'') is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull (''Larus pacificus''), which ...
. These birds are vital aid in the continuation and dispersion of the species as they spread the seeds that are contained inside the berries by excreting them in their droppings along the coast.
Whilst it is known that the shrub is native to Australia, it is debated whether ''L. parviflorus'' is native or naturalised to New Zealand. Whilst the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network state that the shrub is native, Agriculture Victoria on the other-hand state that it has been naturalised to New Zealand.
Threats
In New Zealand's Chatham Islands ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' is considered naturally uncommon. The more aggressive species of grass Ammophila arenari threatens the shrub in some areas of the island where the soil is particularly sandy.
In Australia, an invasive species from South Africa, '' Chrysanthemoides monilifera'', threatens the shrub. ''Chrysanthemoides monilifera'' competes aggressively with surrounding native species such as ''L. parviflorus'' and in some parts on NSW has completely eliminated them.
The shrub tolerates drought very well, however it does not tolerate fire or other environmental impacts the same way. While the species is a "fire re-sprouter" (a species that will re-grow after fire) it has been found that after the shrub is destroyed in a fire, the density in which ''L. parviflorus'' regrows is limited. It has been found that the species displays slower growth and development than other, similar species and no flowering is observed in the first seven years of restoration.
It has been noted that there was a scarcity of berries in Victoria throughout the fruiting months in 2019.
Conservation status
The species is listed as of "Least Concern" in Australia under the Nature Conservation Act 1992
The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota.
As originally published, it pro ...
. In New Zealand, ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' is classed as "At Risk - Naturally uncommon" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System ( NZTCS).
Uses
''Leucopogon parviflorus''’ fruit is safe for humans to eat as a sweet food source once fully ripened. Indigenous Australian communities such as the Djab Wurrung
The Djab Wurrung, also spelt Djabwurrung, Tjapwurrung, Tjap Wurrung, or Djapwarrung, people are Aboriginal Australians whose country is the volcanic plains of central Victoria from the Mount William Range of Gariwerd in the west to the Pyrene ...
people have been harvesting the shrub's berries for hundreds of years and have extensive knowledge surrounding the shrub and other native Australian flora. The fruit is mainly eaten as a snack as the majority of the fruit is the pip of the berry, with limited flesh.
Because of ''L. parviflorus slow growing nature it is often used for bonsai. Leaving the shrub exposed to the elements is an effective way to stunt the growth of the plant.
Cultivation
It is common to see ''Leucopogon parviflorus'' used by Australian landscapers when putting together gardens along the coastline as a result of the plant’s attractive year-round flowering and its ability to thrive in what many other native plants find to be difficult soil conditions.
Propagation methods, and the ease of propagation of ''L. parviflorus'' has been disputed between sources. The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network states that ''L. parviflorus'' is easy to grow from a fresh seed collected from one of the tree’s berries, and that it is also possible to propagate from wood cuttings, though this method is slower, and makes it much harder to successfully propagate.
Another source disputes this, stating that cuttings from a new growth is a quicker, and easier way to propagate ''L. parviflorus'' as it a difficult and slow process to propagate from fresh seeds which is often not successful. Cambridge Coast Care also states that propagation from seed is difficult, however is possible should the seed be exposed to natural rainfall. The organisation reports some propagators from the Australian east coast having success with propagation by planting “smoke-treated seeds that have been collected from bird droppings”.
The not-for-profit conservation organisation, Friends of the Bluff refutes the ability to propagate from a fresh seed completely, instead stating that for a seed to germinate, it must first pass through a bird’s stomach.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6534237
parviflorus
Ericales of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Flora of South Australia
Flora of Tasmania
Flora of Victoria (Australia)
Eudicots of Western Australia
Flora of the Chatham Islands
Taxa named by Henry Cranke Andrews