''Pimelea leptospermoides'', commonly known as serpentine rice flower,
is a species of flowering plant in the family
Thymelaeaceae and is
endemic to Queensland. It is a shrub with narrowly egg-shaped to elliptic leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged in groups of up to 7.
Description
''Pimelea leptospermoides'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of and has hairy young stems. The leaves are narrowly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, to elliptic, long and wide on a
petiole long. The flowers are arranged singly or in small groups in leaf axils on a densely hairy
rachis long. The flowers are white, the
floral tube long, the
sepals long, the
style shorter than the floral tube. Flowering occurs from May to October.
Taxonomy
''Pimelea leptospermoides'' was first formally described in 1869 by
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 ''
Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae'' from specimens collected near the
Tropic of Capricorn by
Anthelme Thozet
Anthelme Thozet (25 May 1826 – 31 May 1878) was a French-Australian botanist and ethnographer.
Early life
He was born 25 May 1826 in Chegnieu-la-Balme (Register of Contrevoz), and fled Calais for London (giving his profession as engineer) in ...
.
In 2017,
Anthony Bean
Anthony Russell Bean (born 1957) is an Australian botanist who works at the Queensland Herbarium and Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha. Since 1982, he has led the Eucalyptus Study Group of the Society for Growing Australian Plants.
Care ...
described two subspecies of ''P. leptospermoides'' and the names are accepted by the
Australian Plant Census:
* ''Pimelea leptospermoides'' subsp. ''bowmanii''
( F.Muell. ex Benth.) A.R.Bean, (previously known as ''Pimelea bowmanni''
F.Muell. ex Benth.)
has densely hairy lower leaf surfaces, the hairs long, and the hairs on the floral tube long.
* ''Pimelea leptospermoides''
F.Muell.) subsp. ''leptospermoides''
has sparsely hairy lower leaf surfaces, the hairs long, and the hairs on the floral tube long.
Distribution and habitat
This pimelea grows on stony hillsides and in the understory of shrubby woodland, in
serpentine soils from near
Marlborough to near
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...
in north Queensland.
Subspecies ''bowmanni'' is found west Canoona and subsp. ''leptospermoides'' between Canoona and Marlborough.
Conservation status
''Pimelea leptospermoides'' is listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' and as "near threatened" under the Queensland Government ''Nature Conservation Act 1992''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q17582315, from2=Q66104775, from3=Q100482249
Malvales of Australia
Pimelea, leptospermoides
Flora of Queensland
Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller
Plants described in 1869