''Muehlenbeckia axillaris'' (creeping wire vine, sprawling wirevine, matted lignum) is a low evergreen shrub, forming wiry mats up to about in diameter, native to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, and the Australian states of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
,
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
It has thin, red-brown stems, with glossy squarish to roundish leaves that are less than in diameter and thick. Flowers are inconspicuous, yellowish-white, in diameter, and borne in groups of up to three in the axils. The fruit is black, shiny, and up to long, produced in late summer to fall.
The plant is hardy, drought-tolerant, and quick-growing, thriving in a range of light conditions. It can be cultivated as a ground cover and grows well in rocky ground, as well as standard potting soil. Although it grows fastest in warm seasons, it tolerates freezing weather.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of ...
in 1847, who used the name "''Polygonum'' (''Muhlenbeckia'') ''axillaris''".
Both
Stephan Endlicher (in 1848)
and
Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers
Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers (26 December 1816 in Mühlhausen – 18 June 1853 in Berlin) was a German botanist. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing a botanical name.
He received his education at the Universities of Greif ...
(in 1849)
later referred to it as just ''Muehlenbeckia axillaris''.
Synonyms
*''Pseudanthus tasmanicus''
References
External links
Threatened Flora of TasmaniaGBIF entry
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2254225
axillaris
Caryophyllales of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Tasmania
Flora of Victoria (Australia)
Plants described in 1847