Leionema oldfieldii is a small shrub that is endemic to mountainous locations in Tasmania, Australia. It has dark green leaves, compact pale pink to white flowers from November to January.
| Leionema oldfieldii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Wild specimen growing on Gould's Plateau, Tasmania, Australia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Leionema |
| Species: | L. oldfieldii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leionema oldfieldii | |
Description
editLeionema oldfieldii is a small, compact shrub to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high. The branchlets are more or less needle-shaped, with usually star to upright shaped soft hairs. The leaves are leathery, smooth, shiny, egg-shaped to oblong-elliptic, 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in) long, 2.5–6 mm (0.098–0.236 in) wide, flat with slightly rolled edges and finely scalloped toward the rounded apex. The inflorescence is a tight group of terminal, pale pink to white flowers on a fleshy, smooth pedicel about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long with two small bracteoles near the base. The petals are elliptic, spreading, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and smooth. The stamens are slightly longer than the petals. Flowering occurs from late spring to early summer.[2]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first formally described in 1858 by Ferdinand von Mueller and gave it the name Eriostemon oldfieldii and the description was published in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[3][4] In 1998 Paul G. Wilson changed the name to Leionema oldfieldii and the name change was published in the journal Nuytsia.[5][6]
Distribution and habitat
editLeionema oldfieldii grows in mountainous areas of the south and west coasts of Tasmania.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Leionema oldfieldii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ a b Wilson, Paul G. "Leionema oldfieldii". Flora of Australia-online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Eriostemon oldfieldii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Leionema oldfieldii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "New species and nomenclatural changes in Phebalium and related genera (Rutaceae)". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 276. Retrieved 29 June 2020.