''Spyridium erymnocladum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales. The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...

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 South Australia. It is a low, woody shrub with linear leaves, and heads of about seven woolly-hairy flowers.

Description

''Spyridium erymnocladum'' is a woody shrub that typically grows to a height of up to , its branchlets and green parts covered with erect, straight or wavy hairs. Its leaves are linear, long and wide with the edges rolled under, and dark brown, overlapping

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s long at the base. The flowers are borne in heads of about seven and are covered with erect hairs, each flower 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 ...

about long. The

floral tube In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the Sepal, calyx, the petal, corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and cal ...

is long, 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 and the petals long.

Taxonomy

''Spyridium erymnocladum'' was first formally described in 1995 by

William Robert Barker William (Bill) Robert Barker is an Honorary Research Associate of the State Herbarium of South Australia. He is a former Chief Botanist of the State Herbarium. With Robyn Mary Barker and Laurence Haegi he had a particular interest in ''Hakea'' in ...

in the ''

Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace (between Lot Fourteen, the site of the old ...

'' from specimens collected near Karkarooka between Kielpa and

Rudall Rudall is a town and locality in South Australia. At the , Rudall had a population of 90. It is named for the cadastral Hundred of Rudall, which was named after politician Samuel Rudall. It is a grain and sheep service centre on the Eyre Pen ...

in 1993. 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 ...

(''erymnocladum'') means "fenced branch", referring to the overlapping stipules that completely shield the branchlets.

Distribution

This spyridium is only known from two collections made in 1986 and 1993 from two sites apart between the towns of Cleve and

Darke Peak Darke Peak (formerly Carappee) is a small agricultural town located in central Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The town is the population centre for the surrounding agricultural district and has become a minor historical tourist town. It is ...

on the

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

of South Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17242766 erymnocladum Rosales of Australia Flora of South Australia Plants described in 1995 Taxa named by William Robert Barker