''Phebalium daviesii'', commonly known as St Helens wax flower or Davies' wax flower, is a species of shrub that 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 a restricted area in Tasmania. It is more or less covered with silvery or rust-coloured scales and has narrow wedge-shaped leaves with a notched tip, and

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

s of white to cream-coloured, five- petalled flowers.

Description

''Phebalium daviesii'' is a shrub that grows to a height of and is more or less covered with silvery or rust-coloured scales. The leaves are narrow wedge-shaped, up to long and wide with a notched tip, a short petiole and

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

on the upper surface. The flowers are white to cream-coloured and arranged in

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

umbels on the ends of branchlets, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

about long. 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 joined to form a hemispherical calyx long and wide with triangular lobes. The five

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are broadly elliptical, about long and wide. Flowering occurs from September to November.

Taxonomy

''Phebalium daviesii'' was first formally described in 1859 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 t ...

and the description was published in '' The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery ships Erebus and Terror. III. Flora Tasmaniae''.

Distribution and habitat

St Helens wax flower is only found in a small area along of the George River near St. Helens on Tasmania's north-east coast. It grows in ''

Eucalyptus viminalis ''Eucalyptus viminalis'', commonly known as the manna gum, white gum or ribbon gum, is a species of small to very tall tree that is Endemism, endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark near the base, lance-s ...

'' woodland with a heathy understorey.

Conservation status

This phebalium is listed as "critically endangered" under the Australian Government ''

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 ...

'' and a recovery plan has been prepared. It was assumed to be extinct, having not been collected since 1892, until it was rediscovered in 1990, although in 2001, only 23 mature individuals were recorded. The main threats to the species are its small population size, damage caused by flooding and susceptibility to ''

Phytophthora cinnamomi ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants variously called "root rot", "dieback", or (in certain '' Castanea'' species), "ink disease". The plant pathogen is one of the wo ...

'' fungus.

Use in horticulture

St Helens wax flower can be readily grown from cuttings and has been propagated in several plant nurseries.

Culture

In 2001, each

Australian state The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing ...

nominated a native flower as a floral emblem to celebrate the centenary of the

Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...

. The St Helens wax flower was chosen as the Tasmanian Federation Flower.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7181156 Flora of Tasmania daviesii Endangered flora of Australia Plants described in 1859 Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker