Lasiopetalum dielsii explained

Lasiopetalum dielsii, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with hairy stems, heart-shaped leaves and pink or white flowers.

Description

Lasiopetalum dielsii is a spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of, its foliage covered with star-shaped hairs. The leaves are heart-shaped, long and wide. Each flower is borne on a pedicel long, the sepals pink or white, the petals reduced to small scales or lobes and there are five stamens. Flowering occurs in December.[1]

Taxonomy

Lasiopetalum dielsii was first formally described in 1904 by Ernst Georg Pritzel in Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pflanzen Westaustraliens, ihrer Verbreitung und ihrer Lebensverhaltnisse.[2] The specific epithet (dielsii) honours Ludwig Diels.[3]

Distribution and habitat

This lasiopetalum grows on steep slopes in the Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status

Lasiopetalum dielsii is listed as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Pritzel . Ernst . Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae occidentalis. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pflanzen Westaustraliens, ihrer Verbreitung und ihrer Lebensverhaltnisse . Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie . 1904 . 35 . 2–3 . 380 . 11 February 2022.
  2. Web site: Lasiopetalum dielsii. APNI. 11 February 2022.
  3. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180 . 183 . 3rd.
  4. Web site: Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna. Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. 11 February 2022.