''Philotheca hispidula'' is a flowering plant in the citrus family and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a small shrub with narrow egg-shaped to wedge-shaped leaves that are glandular-wavy on the edges, and white or pale pink flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.

Description

''Philotheca hispidula'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of about with slightly glandular-warty, finely bristly branchlets. The leaves are narrow egg-shaped to narrow wedge-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide. The flowers are usually arranged singly in leaf axils on a finely bristly

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

long and 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. There are five semi-circular, fleshy-centred sepals about long and five broadly elliptical white or pale pink

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 about long with a glandular keel. The ten

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are slightly hairy. Flowering occurs in spring and the fruit is about long with a beak about long.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1827 by

Sprengel Sprengel is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Hermann Sprengel (1834–1906), chemist * Karl or Carl Sprengel (1787–1859), botanist * Kurt Sprengel (1766–1833), botanist * Christian Konrad Sprengel (1750–1816), teacher an ...

from an unpublished description by Franz Sieber and the description was published in ''

Systema Vegetabilium ''Systema Vegetabilium'' (abbreviated as Syst. Veg.) is a book published in four editions, following twelve earlier editions known as '' Systema Naturae''. The first edition, published in 1774 and edited by Johan Andreas Murray is counted as editi ...

''. In 2005

Paul G. Wilson Paul Graham Wilson (born 1928) is an Australian botanist. He has been a most prolific contributor to the journal ''Nuytsia (journal), Nuytsia'', contributing to the first issue in 1970 and to the 12th volume in 1998, which was dedicated to him f ...

changed the name to ''Philotheca hispidula'' in the journal '' Nuytsia''.

Distribution and habitat

''Philotheca hispidula'' grows in forest on sandstone in the Blue Mountains and in the Sydney region.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18075566 hispidula Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1827 Taxa named by Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel