Species of plant
Acrotriche dura is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to southern Western Australia. It is a slender, erect, glabrous shrub, with oblong to linear leaves, and spikes of tube-shaped white flowers, and flattened spherical drupes.
Description
Acrotriche dura is a slender, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and has glabrous branches. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped, slightly sharply-pointed, 4–9 mm (0.16–0.35 in) long on a short petiole. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to 3 in leaf axils with very small bracts and bracteoles, the sepals about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, and the petals are joined at the base forming a white tube about 4 mm (0.16 in), with lobes as long as the petal tube. Flowering occurs from August to September, and the fruit is a flattened spherical drupe 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long.[2][3]
Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 1868 by George Bentham who gave it the name Leucopogon durus in his Flora Australiensis.[2][4] In 2005, Christopher John Quinn transferred the species to Acrotriche as A. dura in Australian Systematic Botany.[5] The specific epithet (dura) means "hard", referring to the habit and leaves.[6]
Distribution and habitat
Acrotriche dura grows on loam over granite in valley slopes and road verges in the Esperance Plains bioregion of southern Western Australia.[3]
Conservation status
This species is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[3] meaning that it is rare or near threatened.[7]
References
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| Acrotriche dura | |
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| Leucopogon durus | |
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