Philotheca ericifolia

Philotheca ericifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a much-branched shrub with glandular-warty branchlets, needle-shaped leaves and white to pink flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to six on the ends of the branchlets.

Philotheca ericifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Philotheca
Species:
P. ericifolia
Binomial name
Philotheca ericifolia
(A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Paul G.Wilson[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Eriostemon ericifolius A.Cunn. ex Benth.

Description

Philotheca ericifolia is a much-branched, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in–6 ft 7 in) and has glandular-warty branchlets. The leaves are needle-shaped, 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, sparsely glandular warty and channelled on the upper surface. The flowers are borne singly or in clusters of up to six on the ends of the branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long. There are five fleshy, triangular sepals 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) long and five elliptical white petals about 9 mm (0.35 in) long with a thick midrib. The ten stamens are densely hairy. Flowering occurs in spring and the fruit is 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long with a tapered beak.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1863 by George Bentham from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham who gave it the name Eriostemon ericifolius. Bentham published the description in Flora Australiensis. Cunningham collected the type specimens in "on the skirts of the Liverpool Plains" in 1825.[5][6]

In 1998, Wilson changed the name to Philotheca ericifolia in the journal Nuytsia.[7][8]

Distribution and habitat

Philotheca ericifolia grows in heath and forest, mainly in damp sandy flats and gullies. It is found in the upper Hunter Valley and in the northern Pilliga scrub.[2][3]

Conservation status

This philotheca was previously classified as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Government Threatened Species Conservation Act but has been delisted from both.[4][9][10]

gollark: Well, it probably still needs some of the rest of the body for maintenence.
gollark: If the brain is dead, it isn't much use.
gollark: Ideally we would remove the brains from people's skulls and directly feed them input data via the existing nerve I/O bits, but nooooo, apparently that's "unethical" and "impractical".
gollark: Kidnap some psychology students?
gollark: From a very self-selected group, though.

References
  1. "Philotheca ericifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  2. Wilson, Paul G.; Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.) (2013). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. p. 378. Retrieved 3 August 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  3. Weston, Peter H.; Harden, Gwen J. "Philotheca ericifolia". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  4. "Philotheca ericifolia". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  5. "Eriostemon ericifolius". APNI. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  6. Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1863). Flora Australiensis. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. pp. 335–336. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  7. "Philotheca ericifolia". APNI. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  8. Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "A Taxonomic Review of the genera Eriostemon and Philotheca". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 251. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  9. "Listing advice Philotheca ericifolia" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  10. "Philotheca ericifolia - removal from vulnerable species list". New South Wales Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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