Styphelia laeta
| Styphelia laeta | |
|---|---|
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| In Oatley Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Styphelia |
| Species: | S. laeta |
| Binomial name | |
| Styphelia laeta | |
Styphelia laeta, commonly known as five corners,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a slender, erect shrub with broadly elliptic or egg-shaped leaves and pale yellowish-green or red flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.
Description
Styphelia laeta is a slender, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in), its branchlets covered with velvety hairs. The leaves are broadly elliptic or egg-shaped, 13–35 mm (0.51–1.38 in) long, 6.0–13.5 mm (0.24–0.53 in) wide on a petiole 0.4–1.6 mm (0.016–0.063 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils with glabrous bracteoles 2.8–5.4 mm (0.11–0.21 in) long. The flowers are pale yellowish-green or red, the sepals 7–13.5 mm (0.28–0.53 in) long and the petals form a tube 14.5–26 mm (0.57–1.02 in) long with densely hairy lobes 13–21 mm (0.51–0.83 in) long. The stamen filaments are 8.6–15 mm (0.34–0.59 in) long. Flowering occurs from February to August and the fruit is 6.6–8.3 mm (0.26–0.33 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy
Styphelia laeta was first formally described in 1810 by botanist Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae.[5][6] The specific epithet (laeta) means "cheerful", "pleasant" or "bright".[7]
In 1992, Jocelyn Powell described two subspecies of S. laeta in the journal Telopea and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:[8]
- Styphelia laeta R.Br. subsp. laeta[9] has leaves with a length:breadth ratio of 2.5–6.3:1 and finely toothed edges.[2]
- Styphelia laeta subsp. latifolia (R.Br.) J.M.Powell[10] has leaves with a length:breadth ratio of 1.9–3.1:1 and finely softly-hairy edges.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Five corners grows in forest or shrubland between Gosford, Sydney and the Blue Mountains and disjunctly near Warialda.[2]
References
- ^ "Styphelia laeta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Powell, Jocelyn M. ""Styphelia laeta"". Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ Bentham, George (1868). Flora Australiensis. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 147. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Styphelia laeta". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Styphelia laeta". APNI. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum. London. p. 537. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ William T. Stearn (1992). Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary (4th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 438.
- ^ Powell, Jocelyn M.; Robertson, Graham I.; Wiecek, Barbara M.; Scott, James A. (1992). "Studies in Australian Epacridaceae: changes to Styphelia". Telopea. 5 (1): 222. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Styphelia laeta subsp. laeta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Styphelia laeta subsp. latifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 February 2024.