Levenhookia
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''Levenhookia'', also known as the styleworts, is a genus of ten recognized species in the family
Stylidiaceae The family Stylidiaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It consists of five genera with over 240 species, most of which are endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Members of Stylidiaceae are typically grass-like herbs or small shrub ...
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 else ...
to Australia. The genus is restricted to
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 ...
almost exclusively with a few exceptions: '' L. pusilla'''s range extends into
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, '' L. dubia'''s range extends through South Australia into
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, '' L. sonderi'' is native only to Victoria, and '' L. chippendalei'' is also found in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
.Erickson, R. and Willis, J.H. (1966). Some additions to Australian Stylidiaceae. ''Victorian Naturalist'', 83: 107-112.Carlquist, S. (1969). Studies in Stylidiaceae: New taxa, field observations, evolutionary tendencies. ''Aliso'', 7(1): 13-64. All species of ''Levenhookia'' possess a sensitive labellum that performs a similar function to the column of ''Stylidium'' species. The labellum responds to touch and enables the plants to promote cross-pollination and avoid self-pollination. Most species of ''Levenhookia'' are
ephemeral plant An ephemeral plant is one marked by short life cycles. The word ephemeral means transitory or quickly fading. In regard to plants, it refers to several distinct growth strategies. The first, spring ephemeral, refers to perennial plants that emerge ...
s that prefer sand
heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
habitat. ''Levenhookia'' species also possess glandular
trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a p ...
s similar to those of its sister genus, ''Stylidium''. While no studies have been done to test ''Levenhookia'' for
carnivory A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other so ...
, it is plausible that they are carnivorous plants like the related ''Stylidium'' species.Darnowski, D.W., Carroll, D.M., Płachno, B., Kabanoff, E., and Cinnamon, E. (2006)
Evidence of protocarnivory in triggerplants (''Stylidium'' spp.; Stylidiaceae)
''Plant Biology'', 8(6): 805-812.


Evolution and taxonomy

The genus is known to be closely related to the genus '' Stylidium''. Specifically, the subgenus '' Centridium'' is the subgeneric taxonomy in the genus ''Stylidium'' that appears to be most closely related to ''Levenhookia'' and most suggests an ancestral relationship.
Sherwin Carlquist Sherwin John Carlquist FMLS (July 7, 1930 - December 1, 2021) was an American botanist and photographer. Education He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1952 and a Ph.D. in botany in 1956, also at ...
notes that ''Levenhookia'' is most likely a derivative of ''Stylidium'' and has relied on outcropping as its mode of evolution. The species in this genus represent a series from '' L. preissii'', which requires cross pollination for reproduction, to ''L. dubia'', which relies on facultative self-pollination. In an earlier publication,
Rica Erickson Frederica Lucy "Rica" Erickson , née Sandilands, (10 August 1908 – 8 September 2009) was an Australian naturalist, botanical artist, historian, author and teacher. Without any formal scientific training, she wrote extensively on botany and b ...
described this series in reverse, suggesting that path as the evolutionary sequence.Erickson, R. (1958). ''Triggerplants''. Paterson Brokensha Pty., Ltd., Perth, Australia. Several species of ''Stylidium'' have also been noted to mimic flower morphology of certain ''Levenhookia'' species to utilize similar available pollinators. Specifically, '' S. xanthopis'' mimics '' L. leptantha'' and '' S. ecorne'' mimics '' L. pauciflora''. Three
sections Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...
have been established and described by Johannes Mildbraed in 1908 to separate the subgeneric taxonomy in this genus. Section '' Coleostylis'' consists of ''L. chippendalei'', ''L. preissii'', '' L. stipitata'', and possibly '' L. octomaculata'', which Erickson described in 1956, noting its affinities with ''L. stipitata'' but without placing it in a section.Erickson, R. and Willis, J.H. (1956). Critical notes on Australian Stylidiaceae, with descriptions of three new species and two new varieties. ''The Victorian Naturalist'', 72: 130-136. Section '' Estipitatae'' consists of ''L. dubia'', ''L. leptantha'', and ''L. sonderi'', which was considered by Mildbraed to be a
variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
of ''L. dubia''. Section '' Levenhookia'' consists of ''L. pusilla'' and ''L. pauciflora'', though it could also contain '' L. pulcherrima'', which Carlquist described in 1969 and noted its close association to the other two species in section ''Levenhookia'' but neglected to place it within a section. Section ''Levenhookia'' was originally described by Mildbraed as section ''Eulevenhookia'', which was later changed to the current section title ''Levenhookia'' as an
autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...
since it is the type section.Mildbraed, J. (1908). Stylidiaceae. In: Engler, A. ''Das Pflanzenreich: Regni vegetabilis conspectus''. IV. 278. Leipzig.The International Plant Names Index (2004)
''Levenhookia'' sect. ''Eulevenhookia'' Mildbr.
Accessed 11 August 2007.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4358645 Asterales genera Antonie van Leeuwenhoek