Philotheca kalbarriensis

Philotheca kalbarriensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with reddish brown branchlets and crowded, narrow spindle-shaped leaves and single white flowers arranged in leaf axils.

Philotheca kalbarriensis

Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Philotheca
Species:
P. kalbarriensis
Binomial name
Philotheca kalbarriensis

Description

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Philotheca kalbarriensis is a shrub that grows to a height of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and has reddish-brown branchlets. The leaves are crowded, narrow spindle-shaped, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and grooved on the upper surface. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils on pedicels 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. There are five fleshy, triangular sepals about 0.7 mm (0.028 in) long, five egg-shaped, white petals about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) wide and ten hairy stamens that are free from each other.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

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Philotheca kalbarriensis was first formally described in 1998 by Paul Wilson in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected in 1996 by Greg Keighery and Neil Gibson in Kalbarri National Park.[3][5]

Distribution and habitat

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This species of philotheca grows in woodland from Kalbarri to near Mullewa.[2][4]

Conservation status

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This species is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[4] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Philotheca kalbarriensis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Paul G.; Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.) (2013). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. p. 375. Retrieved 6 August 2020. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "A Taxonomic Review of the genera Eriostemon and Philotheca". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 252–253. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Philotheca kalbarriensis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. ^ "Philotheca kalbarriensis". APNI. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 August 2020.