Jacksonia sericea

Jacksonia sericea
Conservation status
Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Jacksonia
Species:	J. sericea
Binomial name
Jacksonia sericea Benth.[1]
Synonyms[1]
Jacksonia gracilis Meisn. Jacksonia sericea Benth. var. sericea Jacksonia sternbergiana var. puberula Meisn. Piptomeris sericea (Benth.) Greene

Jacksonia sericea, commonly known as waldjumi,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading to prostrate shrub with greyish-green branches, straight, sharply-pointed side branches, leaves reduced to scales, orange flowers with red markings, and woody, densely hairy pods.

Description

Jacksonia sericea is a spreading to prostrate shrub that typically grows up to 0.3–1 m (1 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in) high and 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) wide. It has greyish-green branches, the end branches 2.2–25 mm (0.087–0.984 in) long, 0.3–0.8 mm (0.012–0.031 in) wide and mostly sharply-pointed. Its leaves are reduced to narrowly egg-shaped, pale brown scales with toothed edges, 0.9–1.8 mm (0.035–0.071 in) long and 0.4–1.1 mm (0.016–0.043 in) wide. The flowers are scattered along the branches on a pedicel 1.7–2.8 mm (0.067–0.110 in) long, with narrowly egg-shaped bracteoles 0.7–1.4 mm (0.028–0.055 in) long on the middle or near the top of the pedicels. The floral tube is 1.2–1.6 mm (0.047–0.063 in) long and the sepals are membranous, with lobes 7.5–8.8 mm (0.30–0.35 in) long and 0.9–1.7 mm (0.035–0.067 in) wide. The standard petal is orange with red markings, 4.9–7 mm (0.19–0.28 in) long, the wings are orange without markings, 5.2–7.6 mm (0.20–0.30 in) long, and the keel is orange or red, 5.5–5.9 mm (0.22–0.23 in) long. The stamens have white filaments with pink ends and 5.1–5.8 mm (0.20–0.23 in) long. Flowering occurs from October to January, and the fruit is a woody, densely hairy pod 5.5–5.7 mm (0.22–0.22 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Jacksonia sericea was first formally described in 1837 by George Bentham in Stephan Endlicher's Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel.[4][5] from specimens collected near King George Sound. The specific epithet (sericea) means 'silky'.[6]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Jacksonia grows in sandy soil over limestone, and is found in Perth suburbs between Wanneroo and Mandurah in the Swan Coastal Plain bioregion of south-western Western Australia.[2][3]

Conservation status

Waldjumi is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[2] meaning that it is rare or near threatened.[7]

References

1. "Jacksonia sericea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
2. "Jacksonia sericea". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
3. Chappill, Jennifer A.; Wilkins, Carolyn F.; Crisp, Michael D. (2007). "Taxonomic revision of Jacksonia (Leguminosae: Mirbelieae)". Australian Systematic Botany. 20 (6): 616–618.
4. "Jacksonia sericea". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
5. Bentham, George (1837). Endlicher, Stefan F.L.; Fenzl, Eduard; Bentham, George; Schott, Heinrich W. (eds.). Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hüge. p. 31. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
6. George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 305. ISBN 9780958034180.
7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 29 July 2024.