Petrophile globifera is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southwestern Western Australia. It is a shrub with more or less cylindrical leaves and elliptic to spherical heads of cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers on the ends of branchlets.

Petrophile globifera

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Petrophile
Species:
P. globifera
Binomial name
Petrophile globifera

Description edit

Petrophile globifera is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.7–1.2 m (2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 11 in) and has hairy, yellow-grey to reddish-brown young branchlets. The leaves are more or less cylindrical, 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long, about 0.8 mm (0.031 in) wide with a pointed tip. The flowers are arranged on the ends of branchlets in sessile, elliptic to spherical heads 10–18 mm (0.39–0.71 in) in diameter, with narrow egg-shaped, sticky involucral bracts at the base. The flowers are 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long, cream-coloured to pale yellow and hairy. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is a nut, fused with others in an elliptic or spherical head 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) long and 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) wide.[2][3]

Taxonomy edit

Petrophile globifera was first formally described in 2011 by Barbara Lynette Rye and Kelly Anne Shepherd in the journal Nuytsia from material collected by Donald Bruce Foreman in 1984.[2][4] The specific epithet (globifera) means "sphere-bearing", referring to the flower heads.[2][5]

Distribution and habitat edit

This petrophile mainly grows in sand in the area between Morawa, and Pithara.[2]

Conservation status edit

Petrophile globifera is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[3] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Petrophile globifera". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Rye, Barbara L.; Hislop, Michael C.; Shepherd, Kelly A.; Hollister, Chris (2011). "New south-western Australian members of the genus Petrophile (Proteaceae: Petrophileae), including a hybrid" (PDF). Nuytsia. 21 (2): 49–50. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Petrophile globifera". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. ^ "Petrophile globifera". APNI. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  5. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 201. ISBN 9780958034180.
  6. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 5 December 2020.