Sprengelia minima
| Sprengelia minima | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Sprengelia |
| Species: | S. minima
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sprengelia minima | |
Sprengelia minima is a species of flowering plant of the family Ericaceae, and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small shrub usually growing in alpine cushion plants and has many branches, overlapping, stem-clasping, sharply-pointed leaves, and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged singly on the ends of branches.
Description[edit]
Sprengelia minima is a small shrub that usually grows in alpine cushion plants, sometimes with prostrate branchlets on their surface, and has many branches. The leaves overlap each other and have a stem-sheathing base, tapering to a sharply-pointed tip, 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) wide. The flowers are arranged singly, mainly on the ends of branches, with leaf-like bracts at the base. The sepals are broadly lance-shaped, 3.5–4.0 mm (0.14–0.16 in) long and the petals are white, joined at the base to form a tube about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long with lobes 3.0–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long. Flowering occurs from December to January and the fruit is a capsule.[2][3]
Taxonomy[edit]
Sprengelia minima was first formally described in 2013 by R.K. Crowden in the journal Telopea.[2][4] The specific epithet (minima) refers to the small size of the plant, compared to others in the genus.[2]
Habitat and distribution[edit]
This sprengelia is moderately common in alpine areas of Tasmania, including on Mount Field and the Hartz Range, where it grows in cushion plants like Dracophyllum minimum and Domatia novae-zelandiae.[2][3]
References[edit]
- ^ "Sprengelia minima". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Crowden, R.J. (2013). "Emendments to Sprengelia Sm., (Epacridoideae Ericaceae), Tasmania, Australia". Telopea. 15: 62–64. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ a b Jordan, Greg. "Sprengelia minima". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ "Sprengelia minima". APNI. Retrieved 29 June 2022.