Sprengelia montana is a species of flowering plant of the family Ericaceae, and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small, erect shrub with overlapping, stem-clasping, egg-shaped leaves, and pink flowers, sometimes in groups of up to 10 on the ends of branches.
| Sprengelia montana | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Sprengelia |
| Species: | S. montana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sprengelia montana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
editSprengelia montana is a shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 30 cm (12 in), often in or around alpine cushion plants. The leaves overlap each other, have a stem-clasping base, and are thick, egg-shaped, 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide. The flowers are arranged singly, in pairs or groups of up to 10 in crowded heads on the ends of branches, with egg-shaped bracts at the base. The sepals are narrowly lance-shaped, 4.5–5.1 mm (0.18–0.20 in) long and the petals are pink, joined at the base to form a tube 0.9–1.2 mm (0.035–0.047 in) long with lance-shaped lobes 3.5–4.4 mm (0.14–0.17 in) long. Flowering occurs from November to January. This species is similar to Sprengelia incarnata, but has spreading anthers, unlike those of S. incarnata.[2][3]
Taxonomy
editSprengelia montana was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[4] The specific epithet (montana) means "pertaining to a mountain".[5]
Habitat and distribution
editThis sprengelia is moderately common in alpine and subalpine areas of Tasmania, including on Ben Lomond, the Central Highlands and the Southern Ranges, where it grows in moist areas, often with or near cushion plants.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Sprengelia montana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ a b Crowden, R.J. (2013). "Emendments to Sprengelia Sm., (Epacridoideae Ericaceae), Tasmania, Australia". Telopea. 15: 61. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ a b Jordan, Greg. "Sprengelia montana". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "Sprengelia montana". APNI. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 255. ISBN 9780958034180.