Daviesia obovata, commonly known as paddle-leaf daviesia,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, slender shrub with scattered egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, and yellow flowers with pale green markings.

Paddle-leaf daviesia
Foliage of Daviesia obovata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Daviesia
Species:
D. obovata
Binomial name
Daviesia obovata


Description

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Daviesia obovata is an erect, slender shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.7–1.5 m (2 ft 4 in – 4 ft 11 in) and is glabrous. Its phyllodes are scattered, paddle-shaped to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, mostly 55–90 mm (2.2–3.5 in) long and 18–45 mm (0.71–1.77 in) wide. The flowers are arranged in pairs or threes in leaf axils on a peduncle 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) long, the rachis 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long with bracts about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. The sepals are 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and joined at the base, the lobes more or less equal in length. The standard petal is egg-shaped with a notched tip, about 9.5–11.0 mm (0.37–0.43 in) long, 14.5–16.0 mm (0.57–0.63 in) wide, and yellow and pale green. The wings are 9.0–10.5 mm (0.35–0.41 in) long and pale yellowish-green, and the keel is 7.5–9.0 mm (0.30–0.35 in) long and pale yellowish-green. Flowering occurs in October and the fruit is a flattened triangular pod 18.5–23 mm (0.73–0.91 in) long.[3][4]

Taxonomy

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Daviesia obovata was first described in 1853 by Nikolai Turczaninow in the Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou.[5][6] The specific epithet (obovata) means "inverted egg-shaped".[7]

Distribution and habitat

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Paddle-leaf daviesia grows in heath with Eucalyptus marginata and is restricted to the eastern Stirling Range and the Barren Range in the Esperance Plains biogeographic region.[3][4]

Conservation status

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This daviesia is listed as "endangered" species under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as "Threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife,[4] meaning that it is in danger of extinction.[8] A major threat to the species is dieback due to Phytophthora cinnamomi.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Daviesia obovata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Approved conservation advice for Daviesis obovata (Paddle-leaf daviesia)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of Primary Industries, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b Crisp, Michael D.; Cayzer, Lindy; Chandler, Gregory T.; Cook, Lyn G. (2017). "A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae)". Phytotaxa. 300 (1): 187–188. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.300.1.1.
  4. ^ a b c "Daviesia obovata". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. ^ "Daviesia obovata". APNI. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  6. ^ Turczaninow, Nikolai (1853). "Papilionaceae. Podalyrieae et Loteae Australasicae Non-Nullae, Hucusque non Descriptae". Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou. 26 (1): 261–262. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  7. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 263. ISBN 9780958034180.
  8. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
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