Exocarpos homalocladus

Exocarpos homalocladus, commonly known as the grass tree, is a flowering plant in the sandalwood family.[1] The specific epithet comes from the Greek homalos (“flat”) and clados (“cladode”, a leaf-like stem, specialised for photosynthesis), with reference to the structure of the plant.[2]

Exocarpos homalocladus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae
Genus: Exocarpos
Species:
E. homalocladus
Binomial name
Exocarpos homalocladus
Synonyms
  • Exocarpos homaloclada C.Moore & F.Muell. (1872)
  • Xylophyllos homalocladus (C.Moore & F.Muell.) Kuntze (1891)

Description

It is a shrub or small tree growing to 4 m in height. The flat cladodes are 50–100 mm long, 1–2 mm wide. True leaves only occur on juvenile shoots; they are narrowly lanceolate, 50–80 mm long, 5–15 mm wide. The tiny yellow-green flowers occur in clusters from March to July. The fruits are red and fleshy, 8 mm long and seated on swollen red stalks that turn translucent pink when ripe.[1][3]

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, where it is fairly common and found from sea level to the summits of the mountains.[1][3]

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References
  1. Wiecek, BM (2003). "Exocarpos homalocladus". PlantNET: New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Garden: Sydney. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. " Exocarpus homalocladus ". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Retrieved 2014-02-21.
  3. Hutton, Ian (1998). The Australian Geographic Book of Lord Howe Island. Sydney: Australian Geographic. p. 144. ISBN 1-876276-27-4.


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