Seringia nephrosperma, commonly known as free-carpel fire-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family and is endemic to northern Australia. It is an upright, suckering shrub with hairy new growth, usually oblong to lance-shaped leaves, and purple flowers arranged in groups of 5 to 25.
Seringia nephrosperma is an upright, suckering shrub that typically grows to a height of and wide, its new growth covered with white, star-shaped hairs. The leaves are usually oblong to lance-shaped, greyish-green, long and wide on a twisted petiole long with tiny stipules at the base. The flowers are arranged in a cyme with 5 to 25 flowers on a peduncle long, each flower on a pedicel long. The flowers are purple with petal-like sepals opening to wide, covered on the back with white, star-shaped hairs. There are no petals, up to 5 staminodes, and the filaments are yellow. Flowering occurs in most months and the fruit is long and wide. This species is similar to S. exastia.[1] [2]
This species was first described in 1863 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Keraudrenia nephrosperma in Hooker's Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany.[3] In 1860, von Mueller transferred the species to Seringia as S. nephrosperma.[4] The specific epithet (nephrosperma) means "kidney-shaped", referring to the shape of the seeds.
Free-carpel fire-bush usually grows in drier inland areas of New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and northern Western Australia.