''Pimelea longiflora'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Thymelaeaceae
The Thymelaeaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants composed of 50 genera (listed below) and 898 species.Zachary S. Rogers (2009 onwards)A World Checklist of Thymelaeaceae (version 1) Missouri Botanical Garden Website, St. Louis. It ...
and 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 the
southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with linear to narrowly elliptic leaves and erect clusters of white to cream-coloured flowers, surrounded by 4 to 6 green, egg-shaped
involucral bracts.
Description
''Pimelea longiflora'' is an erect, spindly shrub that typically grows to a height of and has densely hairy young stems. The leaves are linear to narrowly elliptic, long and wide on a short
petiole. The flowers are arranged in erect clusters of many flowers on a
peduncle long, surrounded by 4 to 6 egg-shaped or narrowly egg-shaped involucral bracts that are long and wide. Each flower is 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
floral tube long, and the
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
s long. Flowering occurs from August to February.
Taxonomy
''Pimelea longiflora'' was first formally described in 1810 by
Robert Brown in his book ''
Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''.
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 ...
(''longiflora'') means "long-flowered".
Distribution and habitat
This pimelea usually grows in swampy, winter-wet places in sand or sandy clay, mainly between
Bunbury and
Cape Riche, with a
disjunct population in the
Fitzgerald River National Park, in the
Avon Wheatbelt,
Esperance Plains
Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a pl ...
,
Jarrah Forest
Jarrah forest is tall open forest in which the dominant overstory tree is ''Eucalyptus marginata'' (jarrah). The ecosystem occurs only in the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia. It is most common in the biogeographic region named in ...
,
Swan Coastal Plain
The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...
and
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
bioregions of south-western Western Australia.
Conservation status
''Pimelea longiflora'' is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government
The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17582313
longiflora
Malvales of Australia
Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)
Plants described in 1810
Flora of Western Australia