''Pityrodia iphthima'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the mint

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Lamiaceae and is endemic to a small area in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It is a small shrub with its branches, leaves and some of its flower parts densely covered with matted hairs. It has spike-like groups of up to forty flowers on the ends of the branches, the flowers tube-shaped, deep lilac and white, with brown spots inside.

Description

''Pityrodia iphthima'' is a shrub which grows to a height of about and which has its branches densely covered with matted, greenish-white branched hairs. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the branches and are long, wide and narrow egg-shaped. They are folded lengthwise in a V-shape with the upper surface more or less

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

and the lower surface covered with star-like hairs, similar to those on the branches. The flowers are arranged in spike-like groups long, of between ten and forty flowers on woolly stalks long. There is a leaf-like, narrow egg-shaped bract long and narrow egg-shaped

bracteoles In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

long at the base of the flowers. The sepals are green with purplish tips, long joined at the base to form a tube long with narrow egg-shaped lobes. The petals are a deep lilac colour, grading to white and form a broad tube long with brown spots inside the tube. The petal lobes form two "lips", the upper one with two lobes and the lower one with three. The tube is sparsely hairy on the outside and mostly glabrous on the inside apart from a densely hairy ring around the ovary. The middle lobe of the lower lip is the largest, long and wide. The four stamens are usually enclosed within the tube, one pair shorter than the others. Flowers have only been observed in August. This species is similar to '' P. augustensis'' but is distinguished by its relatively glabrous upper leaf surface and longer sepal tube.

Taxonomy and naming

''Pityrodia iphthima'' was first formally described in 2007 by Kelly Shepherd from a specimen collected on the Robinson Ranges near Meekatharra and the description was published in ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

''. The specific epithet (''iphthima'') is derived from an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

word meaning "strong", "stout" or "stalwart", referring to the harsh, rocky habitat of this species.

Distribution and habitat

This pityrodia grows on rocky hillsides of banded ironstone in the Gascoyne biogeographic region.

Conservation

''Pityrodia iphthima'' is classified as "

Priority One Prioritization is an action that arranges items or activities in order of importance. Priority may refer specifically to: Law * Priority or right of way on the road, see Traffic § Priority (right of way) ** Priority signs, a traffic sign th ...

" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15351180 iphthima Plants described in 2007 Flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Kelly Anne Shepherd