Lasiopetalum maxwellii

Lasiopetalum maxwellii
In Maranoa Gardens
Conservation status
Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Lasiopetalum
Species:	L. maxwellii
Binomial name
Lasiopetalum maxwellii F.Muell.[1]

Lasiopetalum maxwellii is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south coast Western Australia. It is a sprawling shrub with hairy young stems, lance-shaped to oblong leaves and white to cream-coloured flowers.

Description

Lasiopetalum maxwellii is a sprawling shrub that typically grows to a height of 25–60 cm (9.8–23.6 in) and has hairy stems. The leaves are lance-shaped to oblong, 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) long and 7–25 mm (0.28–0.98 in) wide and covered with star-shaped hairs. The flowers are borne in loose groups, each flower on a pedicel 1.2–3.0 mm (0.047–0.118 in) long with bracteoles 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long below the base of the sepals. The sepals are cream-coloured or white, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and the petals reduced to small scales or absent. The anthers are 1.4–2.0 mm (0.055–0.079 in) long on a filament 0.5–0.7 mm (0.020–0.028 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from September to January.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Lasiopetalum maxwellii was first formally described in 1881 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by George Maxwell.[3][4] The specific epithet (maxwellii) honours the collector of the type specimens.[5]

Distribution and habitat

This lasiopetalum grows on sandy soils of granitic slopes in near-coastal areas of the Esperance Plains biogeographic area of southern Western Australia.[2]

References

1. "Lasiopetalum maxwellii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
2. "Lasiopetalum maxwellii". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
3. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1881). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. London: Victorian Government Printer. p. 107. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
4. "Lasiopetalum maxwellii". APNI. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
5. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 249. ISBN 9780958034180.