''Philotheca linearis'', commonly known as the rock wallaby shrub or narrow-leaf wax-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to an inland areas of southern Australia. It is a shrub with glandular-warty branchlets and leaves, club-shaped to cylindrical leaves and white flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.

Description

''Philotheca linearis'' is a shrub that grows to a height of with warty glands on the branchlets. The leaves are also glandular-warty, club-shaped to cylindrical, long and channelled on the upper surface. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils, 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. There are five broadly egg-shaped sepals about long and five elliptical white

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 long. 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 free from each other and hairy. Flowering mainly occurs in spring and the fruit is about long and prominently beaked.

Taxonomy

This philotheca was first formally described in 1837 by

Stephan Endlicher Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. Bio ...

from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham who gave it the name ''Eriostemon linearis''. Endlicher published the description in the '' Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel''. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

specimens were collected by Cunningham on the "Barren Ranges on the Lachlan River" in June 1817. In 1998, Wilson changed the name to ''Philotheca linearis'' in the journal '' Nuysia''.

Distribution and habitat

''Philotheca linearis'' on and around rock outcrops from the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia and east to the Everard, Gawler and Flinders Ranges in South Australia and the Cobar – Bourke –

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

area of New South Wales.

Conservation status

In Western Australia, ''P. linearis'' is classified as " Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...

, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18075670 linearis Flora of New South Wales Flora of South Australia Flora of Western Australia Sapindales of Australia Plants described in 1837 Taxa named by Allan Cunningham (botanist) Taxa named by Stephan Endlicher