| Pimelea alpina | |
|---|---|
| Pimelea alpina, showing flower colour variation at Baw Baw National Park, Victoria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Thymelaeaceae |
| Genus: | Pimelea |
| Species: | P. alpina |
| Binomial name | |
| Pimelea alpina Meisn.[1] |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Banksia alpina (Meisn.) Kuntze |
|
Pimelea alpina (Alpine Rice-flower) is a small shrub species in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is endemic to Southern Australia.
It has an prostrate or erect habit, growing up to 30 cm in height. Leaves are 3 to 13 mm long and 1 to 3 mm wide, opposite, and crowded toward the ends of branchlets.[2][3] Flowers which are pinkish red or rarely white, are clustered in groups of 5 to 18, the heads surrounded by 4 bracts.[2] These are followed by 3-4mm long green fruit.[2]
The species was first formally described in Prodromus in 1810, based on plant material collected in the Cobberas Range by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller.[1]
It occurs in alpine and sub-alpine heath, tussock grassland and woodland in New South Wales and Victoria.[2]