Epacris glabella
| Epacris glabella | |
|---|---|
| In the Savage River Regional Reserve | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Epacris |
| Species: | E. glabella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Epacris glabella | |
Epacris glabella, commonly known as smooth heath,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family, Ericaceae, and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a shrub with erect branches, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers.
Description
[edit ]Epacris glabella is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) and has slender, more or less glabrous branches. The leaves are egg-shaped to elliptic, glabrous, thick and shining, 3.5–7 mm (0.14–0.28 in) long and 2.0–3.5 mm (0.079–0.138 in) wide on a petiole less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils and are more or less sessile, the petal tube bell-shaped and 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.138 in) long with five lobes 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long. The anthers and style protrude beyond the petal tube. Flowering occurs in spring.[2] [3] [4]
Taxonomy and naming
[edit ]Epacris glabella was first formally described in 1991 by S. Jean Jarman in Aspects of Tasmanian Botany - a tribute to Winifred Curtis from specimens collected in 1986.[5] The specific epithet (glabella) means "glabrous".[6]
Distribution and habitat
[edit ]Smooth heath grows in soils derived from serpentinite in heath or woodland in hilly places in disjunct populations in north-west Tasmania.[2] [4]
Conservation status
[edit ]Epacris glabella is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Tasmanian Government Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 . The main threats to the species are mining activities, inappropriate fire regimes, and dieback caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi .[2] [4]
References
[edit ]- ^ "Epacris glabella". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Epacris glabella" (PDF). Tasmanian Government Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Jordan, Greg. "Epacris glabella" (PDF). University of Tasmania. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Threatened Tasmanian Forest Epacrids Flora Recovery Plan" (PDF). Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. p. 3. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Epacris glabella". APNI. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 206. ISBN 9780958034180.