''Sarcozona praecox'', commonly known as sarcozona, is species of flowering plant in the family

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is d ...

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 Australia. It is a small erect to low-lying,

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

shrub with leaves that are triangular in cross-section and arranged in opposite pairs, and daisy-like flowers with twenty to eighty pink, petal-like

staminodes In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & C ...

and 20 to 150

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 ...

Description

''Sarcozona bicarinata'' is an erect to low-lying, succulent, glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of with its leaves arranged in opposite pairs, stem-clasping, long and wide. The leaves are warty, triangular in cross-section but with the sides rounded and the top flat. The flowers are arranged singly, wide and

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

or on a short

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 ...

, with two leaves fused together and partly enclosing the flowers at the base. 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 ...

tube is long with usually four lobes long. There are between twenty and eight pink, petal-like staminodes surrounding between 20 and 150 white stamens and four styles. The

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

is long and unlike '' S. bicarinata'', lacks ribs. Flowering mainly occurs from August to November and the fruit is a succulent capsule about in diameter.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1853 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 ...

who gave it the name ''Mesembryathemum praecox'' in the journal ''Linnaea: ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange, oder Beiträge zur Pflanzenkunde'' from specimens collected in the Flinders Ranges. In 1965, Stanley Thatcher Blake changed the name to ''Sarcozona praecox''.

Distribution

Sarcozona grows near salt lakes, on granite rocks and occasionally in woodland and mallee in arid areas of western New South Wales, north-western Victoria, the south-west of Western Australia, southern South Australia and southern Queensland.

Conservation status

This species is classified as "not threatened" 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 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15572791 praecox Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Plants described in 1853 Flora of South Australia Flora of Western Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of Queensland