Stenanthemum complicatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a woody, erect or straggling shrub with densely hairy young stems, broadly egg-shaped leaves and densely woolly-hairy heads of tube-shaped flowers.
| Stenanthemum complicatum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Genus: | Stenanthemum |
| Species: | S. complicatum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stenanthemum complicatum | |
Description
editStenanthemum complicatum is a woody, erect or straggling shrub that typically grows to a height of 20–80 cm (7.9–31.5 in), its young stems densely covered with soft, rust-coloured hairs. Its leaves are broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, mostly 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) wide on a petiole 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) long, with triangular stipules 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long at the base. The upper surface of the leaves is covered with greyish, velvety hairs and the lower surface is densely covered with greyish or rust-covered hairs. The flowers are densely covered with woolly white hairs and borne in groups of 10 to 50, up to 10 mm (0.39 in) wide. The floral tube is 0.6–0.8 mm (0.024–0.031 in) long and 0.8–1.5 mm (0.031–0.059 in) wide, the sepals 0.9–1.2 mm (0.035–0.047 in) long and the petals 0.6–0.7 mm (0.024–0.028 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to October, and the fruit is 2.5–3.0 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
editThis species was first formally described in 1862 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Spyridium complicatum in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by Augustus Oldfield near the Murchison River.[4][5] In 1995, Barbara Lynette Rye changed the name to Stenanthemum complicatum in the journal Nuytsia.[6] The specific epithet (complicatum) means "folded upon itself", referring to the leaves.[7]
Distribution and habitat
editStenanthemum complicatum grows on sandplains from Shark Bay to Mullewa in the Carnarvon, Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo bioregions of south-western Western Australia.[2][8][3]
References
edit- ^ "Stenanthemum complicatum". Australian Plant Census. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b Kellerman, Jurgen; Thiele, Kevin R. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Stenanthemum complicatum". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b Kellermann, Jürgen; Thiele, Kevin R. (2021). "The other 'propeller plant' – Notes on Stenanthemum Reissek (Rhamnaceae: Pomaderreae) and a key to the genus in Australia" (PDF). Swainsona. 35: 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "Spyridium complicatum". APNI. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1862). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 3. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 78. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Stenanthemum complicatum". APNI. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 167. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ "Stenanthemum complicatum". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.