Notelaea ipsviciensis explained

Notelaea ipsviciensis, also known as the Cooneana Olive, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family that is endemic to Australia.

Etymology

The specific epithet ipsviciensis refers to the type locality, of which it is a latinisation.

Description

The species grows as a slow-growing, multi-stemmed, lignotuberous, evergreen shrub up to 1–2 m in height. The small flowers are cream-yellow in colour. Each fleshy, purple fruit is about 10 mm wide, enclosing a single seed.[1]

Distribution and habitat

The species is known only from three small populations in the Ipswich area of south-eastern Queensland. It is an understorey plant of open woodland, especially dry, eucalypt-dominated, sclerophyll communities on poor, sandstone-based soils.[1]

Conservation

The species has been listed under Australia's EPBC Act as Critically Endangered. The main threat comes from gross land disturbance from open-cut coal mining and clay extraction, particularly from the dumping of overburden.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Approved Conservation Advice for Notelaea ipsviciensis (Cooneana Olive). . 2008. Threatened Species. Department of the Environment, Australia . 18 October 2021.