Philotheca buxifolia explained

Philotheca buxifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a shrub with more or less oblong leaves and solitary white to pink flowers arranged singly on the ends of branchlets.

Description

Philotheca buxifolia is a shrub that typically grows to a height of and has branchlets with short, stiff hairs. The leaves are round to broadly elliptical or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wedge-shaped or heart-shaped near the base. The flowers are borne singly on the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel long. The sepals are broadly triangular and fleshy, long and the petals white to pink, broadly elliptical and long. The ten stamens are free from each other with a prominent appendage on the anther. Flowering occurs from winter to spring and the fruit is about long with a beak about long.^{[1] [2]}

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1809 by James Edward Smith in The Cyclopaedia from specimens "gathered near Port Jackson by Dr White".^{[3] [4]} In 1998, Paul G. Wilson changed the name to Philotheca buxifolius and described three subspecies in the journal Nuytsia.^[5] The names of the three subspecies are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• Eriostemon buxifolia (Sm.) Paul G.Wilson subsp. buxifolia,^[6] commonly known as box-leaf waxflower^[7] has leaves are round to broadly elliptical, not folded lengthwise and have a heart-shaped base, and is mainly found in the Sydney area;
• Eriostemon buxifolia subsp. falcata Paul G.Wilson^[8] has leaves are round to broadly elliptical, not folded lengthwise and have a heart-shaped base, the subspecies only occurring in the Jervis Bay area;
• Eriostemon buxifolia subsp. obovata Paul G.Wilson^[9] has egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and a wedge-shaped base, the subspecies occurring near Gosford and near Ulladulla.^[10]

Distribution

Philotheca buxifolia grows in heath on sandstone in coastal areas of New South Wales between Gosford and Ulladulla.

Notes and References

1. Book: Wilson . Paul G. . Wilson . Annette J.G. (ed.) . Flora of Australia (Volume 26) . 2013 . Australian Biological Resources Study . Canberra . 396–397 . 31 July 2020.
2. Web site: Weston . Paul H. . Harden . Gwen J. . Philotheca buxifolia . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 31 July 2020.
3. Web site: Eriostemon buxifolius. APNI. 31 July 2020.
4. Book: Smith . James Edward . Rees . Abraham . Rees's Cyclopædia . 1809 . Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown . London . XIII. 31 July 2020.
5. Web site: Philotheca buxifolia. APNI. 31 July 2020.
6. Web site: Philotheca buxifolia subsp. buxifolia. Australian Plant Census. 31 July 2020.
7. Web site: Weston . Paul H. . Harden . Gwen J. . Philotheca buxifolia subsp. buxifolia. Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 31 July 2020.
8. Web site: Philotheca buxifolia subsp. falcata. Australian Plant Census. 31 July 2020.
9. Web site: Philotheca buxifolia subsp. obovata. Australian Plant Census. 31 July 2020.
10. Web site: Weston . Paul H. . Harden . Gwen J. . Philotheca buxifolia subsp. obovata. Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 31 July 2020.