Lechenaultia superba explained

Lechenaultia superba, commonly known as Barrens leschenaultia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas of southern Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with crowded, narrow, fleshy leaves and yellow, red, or yellow and orange flowers.

Description

Lechenaultia superba is an erect, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of and has rough bark. The leaves are crowded, fleshy, long and narrow. The flowers are arranged singly on the ends of branchlets and are yellow, red, or yellow and orange. The sepals are long and the petals long with soft hairs inside the petal tube. The wings on the lower petal lobes are wide and on the upper lobes wide. Flowering mostly occurs from August to November, and the fruit is long.[1]

Taxonomy

Lechenaultia superba was first formally described in 1867 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected near the Phillips River.[2] [3] The specific epithet (superba) means "splendid".[4]

Distribution and habitat

This leschenaultia grows in scrub on rocky hillsides near East Mount Barren in the Esperance Plains biogeographic region.

Conservation status

Barrens leschenaultia is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is rare or near threatened.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Morrison . David A. . Lechenaultia superba . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra . 17 March 2022.
  2. Web site: Lechenaultia superba. APNI. 17 March 2022.
  3. Book: von Mueller . Ferdinand . Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae . 6 . 1867 . Victorian Government Printer . Melbourne . 10 . 11 March 2022.
  4. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180 . 318 . 3rd.
  5. Web site: Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna. Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. 17 March 2022.