''Xerothamnella herbacea'' is a species of plant in the
acanthus family that is
endemic to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Description
The species is a sprawling
perennial herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
growing to 30 cm in height. The stems can root at the nodes where they touch the soil. The soft, linear to narrowly ovate leaves are dark green above and pale beneath. The small, bright pink to mauve flowers occur in the upper leaf axils. The hairy, club-shaped fruits are 9 mm long.
Distribution and habitat
The species is found in the
Brigalow Belt South IBRA
The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. It was devel ...
bioregion of south-eastern
Queensland, in shaded situations, often in
plant litter, in
brigalow dominated
plant communities with
gilgais on heavy
clay soils.
Conservation
The species is listed as
Endangered under both Australia's
EPBC Act and Queensland's
Nature Conservation Act
The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota.
As originally published, it prov ...
. It is threatened both by competition with
invasive plants and by altered
fire regimes.
References
herbacea
Lamiales of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Taxa named by Robyn Mary Barker
Plants described in 1986
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