Billardiera viridiflora

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Billardiera viridiflora
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Pittosporaceae
Genus: Billardiera
Species:
B. viridiflora
Binomial name
Billardiera viridiflora
Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Billardiera viridiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Pittosporaceae and is endemic to a small area in the north-west of Tasmania. It is a twining shrub that has narrowly elliptic leaves and pendent greenish yellow flowers that turn a deeper yellow as they age.

Description[edit]

Billardiera viridiflora is a twining shrub or climber, its oldest stems reddish brown. The adult leaves are narrowly elliptic, about 40 mm (1.6 in) long and 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) wide on a petiole up to 4 mm (0.16 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly on slender, down-turned peduncles up to 35 mm (1.4 in) long. The sepals are narrowly egg-shaped, greenish-mauve, and the petals are greenish yellow, turning deeper yellow as they age, up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long, the petal lobes spatula-shaped. Ths species is similar to B. longiflora but has bright blue pollen. Flowering occurs from November to January and the mature fruit is an oblong, purple berry 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long, containing reddish brown seeds.[2][3]

Taxonomy[edit]

Billardiera viridiflora was first formally described in 2004 by Lindy W. Cayzer and David L. Jones in Australian Systematic Botany from specimens collected near Marrawah in 1998.[4] The specific epithet (viridiflora) means "green-flowered".[5]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

This species of billardiera grows in moist forest near Marrawah in north-west Tasmania.[2]`

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Billardiera viridiflora". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Billardiera viridiflora". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  3. ^ Jordan, Greg. "Billardiera viridiflora". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Billardiera viridiflora". APNI. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  5. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 336. ISBN 9780958034180.