Pimelea alpina

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 a 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]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Pimelea alpina". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 New South Wales Flora Online: Pimelea alpina Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
  3. Corrick, M.G. and Fuhrer, B.A. (2001). Wildflowers of Victoria and adjoining areas. Australia: Bloomings Books. ISBN 1876473142.