Styphelia perileuca

Styphelia perileuca, commonly known as montane green five-corners is a plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect, spreading shrub with broad leaves with a spiky tip, and yellowish-green and red tube-shaped flowers with the petals rolled back. It is only known from the eastern edge of the New England Tableland.

Montane green five-corners
Leaves and flower of Styphelia perileuca
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Styphelia
Species:
S. perileuca
Binomial name
Styphelia perileuca
J.M.Powell[1]

Description

Styphelia perileuca is a spreading shrub which grows up to 3 m (10 ft) tall and wide. Its leaves are mostly broadly elliptic in shape, 6–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide, slightly dished with very fine teeth along the edge and a sharp point on the tip. The flowers are tube-shaped, yellowish green in colour with fine red stripes and hang singly from upper leaf axils. There are five glabrous sepals 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) long. The five petals are joined, forming a tube 12–14 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long with the tips of the petals rolled back and hairy on the inside surface. The stamens are straight and extend beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering occurs mostly between September and January but flowers are also present in April.[2][3][4]

Styphelia perileuca growing in Cathedral Rock National Park

Taxonomy and naming

Styphelia perileuca was first formally described in 1992 by Jocelyn Powell and published in Telopea.[1] The specific epithet (perileuca) is derived from the Ancient Greek words peri meaning "around"[5]:102 and leukos meaning "white"[5]:856 referring to the thin white perimeter of the leaves.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Montane green five-corners is only known from Cathedral Rock National Park, the New England National Park and near Maclean. It grows in shrubland near swamps and in forest.[2][3][4]

Conservation

Styphelia perileuca is classified as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The main threats to the species are its small population size and narrow distribution.[4]

gollark: ⇒ No.
gollark: Was it submitted in the last year ⇒ No.Was it submitted in the last century ⇒ No.Was it submitted ⇒ No.A more accurate version.
gollark: Ah, clever.
gollark: Ah, of course he has not.
gollark: CCTweaked has it, luckiyl.

References
  1. "Styphelia perileuca". APNI. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  2. Powell, Jocelyn M.; Robertson, Geoffrey; Wiecek, Barbara; Scott, Judith A. (1992). "Studies in Australian Epacridaceae: Changes to Styphelia". Telopea. 5 (1).
  3. Brown, Elizabeth A. "Styphelia perileuca". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  4. "Approved conservation advice Styphelia perileuca" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
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