Leionema gracile

Leionema gracile, commonly known as Mt Greville phebalium, is a shrub species that is endemic to Queensland, Australia. It is a small shrub with spreading leaves, white petals and flowers from autumn to spring.

Mt Greville phebalium
On Mount Greville
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Leionema
Species:
L. gracile
Binomial name
Leionema gracile

Description

Leionema gracile is a small shrub to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) high, branchlets warty, more or less terete or marginally angular with separated, soft, thin hairs between the ribs. The leaves are a spreading formation, mostly smooth, oval to elliptic-oval, 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) wide, edges smooth and slightly rolled under, leathery, and blunt or rounded at the apex. The single flowers are borne in the highest branches in leaf axils on mostly smooth pedicel about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The small bracts are hair-like about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long and fall off early. The calyx lobes are triangular shaped and smooth. The white flower petals are spreading, narrowly oval, 5 mm (0.20 in) long and sharply pointed at the apex, stamens similar length of petals. The fruit are about 4 mm (0.16 in) long ending with a short beak. Flowering occurs from autumn to spring.[2]

Taxonomy and naming

Mt Greville phebalium was first formally described as Phebalium gracile,[3] but the name was changed to Leionema gracile in 1998 by Paul G. Wilson and the description was published in the journal Nuytsia.[4][5]The specific epithet (gracile) is from the Latin gracilis meaning thin or slender.[6]

Distribution and habitat

This species has a restricted distribution found growing at higher altitudes on Mount Moon and Mount Greville in south-eastern Queensland on rocky outcrops.[3][4]

References
  1. "Leionema gracile". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  2. Wilson, Paul G. (1999). Flora of Australia-Volume 26 Meliaceae, Rutaceae, Zygophyllaceae. Canberra/Melbourne: ABRS-Department of Environment & Heritage. pp. 438–439. ISBN 9780643109551.
  3. "Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. Wilson, Paul G. "Nuytsia". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. "Leionema gracile". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 209. ISBN 9780958034180.
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