Acrotriche divaricata
| Acrotriche divaricata | |
|---|---|
| |
| Near Galston Gorge | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Acrotriche |
| Species: | A. divaricata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Acrotriche divaricata | |
| |
| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
Acrotriche divaricata is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a bushy shrub with sharply-pointed lance-shaped leaves and spikes of 3 to 5 green or cream-coloured flowers and spherical, red drupes.
Description
Acrotriche divaricata is an erect, spreading, bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.6–2 m (2 ft 0 in – 6 ft 7 in), its leaves at about 90° to the stem. The leaves are usually lance-shaped, sometimes oblong to elliptic, 6–16 mm (0.24–0.63 in) long, 1.7–4.2 mm (0.067–0.165 in) wide and sharply-pointed. The flowers are arranged in spikes with 3 to 5 green or cream-coloured flowers with bracteoles 0.5–0.9 mm (0.020–0.035 in) long at the base of the sepals. The sepals are 1.4–2.8 mm (0.055–0.110 in) long and the petals are joined at the base forming a tube 1.3–1.9 mm (0.051–0.075 in) long, the lobes 1.0–1.3 mm (0.039–0.051 in) long. Flowering mostly occurs between July and September and the fruit is a more or less spherical, fleshy, red drupe about 3 mm (0.12 in) in diameter.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy
Acrotriche divaricata was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[5][6] The specific epithet (aggregata) means "widely spreading".[7]
Distribution and habitat
This species of Acrotriche is often found in sheltered forest or in rainforest, and is mostly seen growing on the coast and ranges of New South Wales south of Newcastle.[2] A similar species Acrotriche leucocarpa with pearly white fruit, occurs in Victoria.[8][9]
References
- ^ "Acrotriche divaricata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ a b Powell, Jocelyn M. "Acrotriche divaricata". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ Les Robinson - Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, ISBN 978-0-7318-1211-0 page 105
- ^ Fairley, Alan; Moore, Philip (2010). Native Plants of the Sydney Region. Crows Nest: Jacana Books. p. 93. ISBN 9781741755718.
- ^ "Acrotriche divaricata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van-Diemen. London. p. 547. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 185. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ Albrecht, David E.; Walsh, Neville G. "Acrotriche leucocarpa". Royal Botanic Garden Victoria. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (1995). "Ecology of Sydney plant species (Part 3)". Cunninghamia. 4 (2): 352–353. Retrieved 2 June 2024.