''Pimelea drupacea'', commonly known as cherry rice-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with elliptic leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and head-like clusters of white, tube-shaped flowers surrounded by two or four leaves.

Description

''Pimelea drupacea'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of , its young stems covered with short hairs. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, long and wide on a short petiole. The flowers are white and borne in head-like clusters of 4 to 12, surrounded by two or four leaves long, each flower on a densely hairy

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 ...

. The floral tube is long, the sepals long and the fruit red and succulent. Flowering time is variously reported as August to October, mainly from September to January, or in late spring.

Taxonomy

''Pimelea drupacea'' was first formally described in 1805 by Jacques Labillardière in his '' Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''drupacea'') means "drupe-like".

Distribution and habitat

Cherry rice-flower grows in moist, shady valleys and occurs on Wilsons Promontory in Victoria and is widespread and common in Tasmania, including on

King Island King Island, Kings Island or King's Island may refer to: Australia * King Island (Queensland) * King Island, at Wellington Point, Queensland * King Island (Tasmania) ** King Island Council, the local government area that contains the Tasmanian is ...

Conservation status

This pimelea is listed as "critically endangered" in Victoria, under the Victorian Government ''

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17581858 drupacea Endemic flora of Australia Taxa named by Jacques Labillardière Plants described in 1805 Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia)