Leionema hillebrandii, commonly known as Mount Lofty phebalium,[2] is a perennial, woody shrub endemic to South Australia. It has variable shaped leaves and pinkish flowers from late winter to spring.

Leionema hillebrandii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Leionema
Species:
L. hillebrandii
Binomial name
Leionema hillebrandii

Description

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Leionema hillebrandii is a small straggly, perennial shrub to 30–60 cm (12–24 in) high with smooth greenish-brown to red, thin, terete branchlets sparsely covered with star shaped hairs. The edges of the leaves are rolled under, dark green, silky, heart shaped to wedge-shaped, narrowing at the base or egg-shaped to wedge-shaped or oblong, 5–17 mm (5.0–17.0 mm) long, 2–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) wide with smooth margins. The leaves may be squared with a point or rounded at the apex or acute with two lobes, rounded with a shallow notch, papery, smooth texture or rough with short hard protrusions on the upper surface. The inflorescence is cluster of up to 16 pinkish flowers on a thin pedicel 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long. The calyx lobes triangular shaped, about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) high and occasional star-shaped hairs. The petals are smooth, spreading, narrowly oval-shaped, 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) long and pink toward the tip. The stamens are more or less equal in length to the petals and the anthers pink. The fruit is a light brown, 2-4 segmented egg-shaped capsule, 4 mm (0.16 in) long, rounded at the apex with a beak. Flowering occurs from August to October.[3]

Taxonomy and naming

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Mount Lofty phebalium was described in 1957 as Phebalium hillebrandii by J.H Willis,[4] but the name was changed to Leionema hillebrandii in 1998 by Paul G. Wilson and the description was published in the journal Nuytsia.[5][6] The specific epithet (hillebrandii) was named in honour of Dr. Wilhelm Hillebrand a friend of Baron von Mueller.[7]

Distribution and habitat

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This species is found along rocky waterways from Mount Lofty to Tanunda in South Australia.[3][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Leionema hillebrandii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Leionema hillebrandii". Seeds of South Australia. Government of South Australia, Department of Environment & Water. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Paul G. (1999). Flora of Australia-Meliaceae, Rutaceae, Zygophyllaceae (PDF). Canberra/Melbourne: ABRS-Commonwealth of Australia Department of Environment & Heritage. p. 440. ISBN 9780643109551.
  4. ^ "Phebalium hillebrandii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Leionema hillebrandii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  6. ^ Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "Leionema hillebrandii". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 274. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  7. ^ a b "The Victorian Naturalist". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 18 May 2020.