Thismia hawkesii, commonly known as fairy lantern, is a plant in the family Burmanniaceae found only in the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia.
| Fairy lantern | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Dioscoreales |
| Family: | Burmanniaceae |
| Genus: | Thismia |
| Species: | T. hawkesii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Thismia hawkesii | |
Description
editThismia hawkesii is a small underground herb and an obligate myco-heterotroph, that is, it lacks chlorophyll and relies on a symbiotic association with fungi to obtain its nutrients. The roots, stem and leaves of the plant remain underground and only the flower appears above ground. The leaves are white and measure up to 3.5 mm long by 1 mm wide. The flowers are solitary and are 18–26 mm long by 5–6 mm wide. The fruit is a capsule about 4.5 mm long by 7.5 mm wide, containing numerous seeds.[4]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first described by the Australian botanist Wendy Elizabeth Cooper, and published in the journal Austrobaileya in 2017. The species epithet hawkesii honours the naturalist and field assistant Tim Hawkes.[4]
Distribution and habitat
editAs of June 2024[update], it is only known from collections in the Baldy Mountain Forest Reserve, west of Atherton, Queensland.[5]
Conservation
editDespite its extremely limited known range, Thismia hawkesii is listed as least concern under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation Act.[1] As of 21 June 2024[update], it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
References
edit- ^ a b "Species profile—Thismia hawkesii". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Thismia hawkesii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Thismia hawkesii W.E.Cooper". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ a b Cooper, W. E. (2017). "Thismia hawkesii W.E.Cooper and T. Lanternatus W.E.Cooper (Thismiaceae), two new fairy lantern species from the Wet Tropics Bioregion, Queensland, Australia". Austrobaileya. 10 (1): 130–138. doi:10.5962/p.299895.
- ^ "Search: species: Thismia hawkesii | Occurrence records". Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Australian Government. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
External links
edit
- View a map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- Mount Baldy Forest Reserve information on the Queensland Government website