''Phebalium stenophyllum'', commonly known as narrow-leaved phebalium, is a species of small 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 south-eastern Australia. It has scaly branchlets, narrow oblong to more or less cylindrical leaves and yellow flowers in

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 three to ten.

Description

''Phebalium stenophyllum'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of and has silvery to rust-coloured scales on its branchlets. It has narrow oblong leaves with the edges rolled under, appearing more or less cylindrical, long and wide on a short petiole. The upper surface is

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 older leaves, the lower surface covered with silvery scales or obscured. The flowers are 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 of three to ten flowers, 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 ...

long. The calyx is hemispherical, about high and wide and covered with silvery to rust-coloured scales. The

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 yellow, elliptical, long and about wide with silvery and rust-coloured scales on the back. Flowering occurs in spring.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described as ''Phebalium squamulosum'' var. ''stenophyllum'' by

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

in ''

Flora Australiensis ''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume flora of Australia published be ...

'' in 1863. The type specimen was collected by botanist

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in "the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. T ...

and desert of the Tattiara country towards the

Murray river The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

". It was subsequently published as a species in its own right by

Joseph Maiden Joseph Henry Maiden (25 April 1859 – 16 November 1925) was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the genus ''Eucalyptus''. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing ...

and

Ernst Betche Daniel Ludwig Ernst Betche (31 December 1851, in Potsdam – 28 June 1913, in Sydney) was a German-Australian horticulturist and botanist. His mother died at his birth and he was of delicate constitution all his life. His father was sufficiently ...

in ''A Census of New South Wales Plants'' in 1916.

Distribution and habitat

Narrow-leaved phebelium grows in eucalypt woodland, heath or mallee in disjunct populations in the central and southern tablelands of New South Wales and near the Victorian-South Australian border. It has also been recorded from Mt Zero and Mt Abrupt in the

Grampians National Park The Grampians National Park commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd. The national park is situated betwee ...

and from near Blackwood.

Use in horticulture

''Phebalium stenophyllum'' is cultivated as an ornamental flowering shrub. The species has some frost tolerance and performs best in a well-drained, partially shaded position. Established plants can withstand dry periods.

References

External links

Herbarium specimen at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7181161 stenophyllum Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of South Australia Plants described in 1863 Taxa named by George Bentham