Woollsia pungens, commonly known as snow heath,[3] is the sole species in the flowering plant genus Woollsia in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small shrub with egg-shaped leaves with a heart-shaped base, white to dark pink, tube-shaped flowers and small capsules containing many small seeds.
| Woollsia | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Blue Mountains National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epacridoideae |
| Tribe: | Epacrideae |
| Genus: | Woollsia F.Muell.[2] |
| Species: | W. pungens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Woollsia pungens | |
Description
editWoollsia pungens is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.2–2 m (7.9 in – 6 ft 6.7 in) and has hairy stems. The leaves are egg-shaped, 3.5–12 mm (0.14–0.47 in) long and 1.5–6 mm (0.059–0.236 in) wide on a petiole up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long, and have a rounded to heart-shaped base and a sharp point on the end. The flowers are white to dark pink, 8–13 mm (0.31–0.51 in) in diameter and sweetly-scented. There are hairy bracts and sepals 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long. The petals are joined at the base, forming a tube 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) long with spreading lobes 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months, and the fruit is a capsule about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) in diameter, containing many small seeds.[4][5]
Taxonomy
editAntonio José Cavanilles described the species as Epacris pungens in 1797, from material collected in the Sydney district.[6] Victorian state botanist Ferdinand von Mueller proposed the new genus Woollsia in 1873 in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae,[7] though did not publish its new binomial name (Woollsia pungens) until 1875.[8][9] The genus name (Woollsia) honours William Woolls[3] and the specific epithet (pungens) means "ending in a sharp, hard point".[10]
Genetic analysis indicates that this species is an early offshoot of a lineage that includes Lysinema ciliatum and the genus Epacris.[11][12]
Distribution and habitat
editWoollsia pungens grows in heathland with such species as saw banksia (Banksia serrata), mountain devil (Lambertia formosa), grasstree (Xanthorrhoea resinifera), and open sclerophyll forest under such trees as Sydney peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita), scribbly gum (E. haemastoma) and red bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera).[5] It grows along the coast and in the upper Blue Mountains from Pigeon House Mountain in southern New South Wales to south-east Queensland.[4][5]
Ecology
editPlants are thought to live 10–20 years in the wild. They are generally killed by bushfire, with new seedlings growing from seed stored in the soil.[5]
Use in horticulture
editIn cultivation, snow heath grows best in a part-shaded spot with good drainage and ample moisture. It can be propagated by cuttings or seed.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Woolsia pungens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Woolsia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Woollsia pungens". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b Powell, Jocelyn M. "Woollsia pungens". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (1995). "Ecology of Sydney plant species Part 3: Dicotyledon families Cabombaceae to Eupomatiaceae". Cunninghamia. 4 (2): 390. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ Cavanilles, Antonio J. (1797). Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum. Madrid: Ex Regia Typographia. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1873). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. v.8 1872-74. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 55. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Woollsia pungens". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1875). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. v.9 1875. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 48. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 287. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ Quinn, Christopher J.; Crowden, Ronald K.; Brown, Elizabeth A.; Southam, Michael J.; Thornhill, Andrew H.; Crayn, Darren M. (2015). "A reappraisal of the generic concepts of Epacris, Rupicola and Budawangia (Ericaceae, Epacridoideae, Epacrideae) based on phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular data". Australian Systematic Botany. 28: 63. doi:10.1071/SB13009. S2CID 85849925.
- ^ Johnson, Karen A.; Holland, Barbara R.; Heslewood, Margaret M.; Crayn, Darren M. (2012). "Supermatrices, supertrees and serendipitous scaffolding: Inferring a well-resolved, genus-level phylogeny of Styphelioideae (Ericaceae) despite missing data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (1): 146–158. Bibcode:2012MolPE..62..146J. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.09.011. PMID 21967784.