Teucrium teucriiflorum

Teucrium teucriiflorum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Teucrium
Species:	T. teucriiflorum
Binomial name
Teucrium teucriiflorum (F.Muell.) Kattari & Salmaki[1]
Synonyms[1]
Spartothamnella teucriiflora (F.Muell.) Moldenke Spartothamnus teucriiflorus F.Muell. Spartothamnus teucriifolius Domin orth. var.

Teucrium teucriiflorum is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, and is endemic to arid and semi-arid areas of Australia. It is a semi-scandent shrub with many branches, linear to narrow lance-shaped or narrow egg-shaped leaves and creamy-white flowers.

Description

Teucrium teucriiflorum is a semiscandent shrub with many branches that typically grows to a height of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in), often with very few leaves. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, linear to narrow lance-shaped or narrow egg-shaped, 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) long, 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) wide and sessile. The flowers are mostly arranged singly or in groups of up to three in upper leaf axils, each flower on a pedicel 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long with leaf-like, linear to lance-shaped bracts 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long. The five sepals are 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long and joined at the base. The petals are creamy-white, 8–11 mm (0.31–0.43 in) long with five lobes, the lower middle lobe 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months but mainly from August to November.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

This germander was first formally described in 1883 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Spartothamnus teucriiflorus in the Southern Science Record from specimens collected by Hermann Kempe near the Finke River and Ernest Giles between the Murchison and Gascoyne Rivers.[5][6] In 2016, Stefan Kattari and Yasaman Salmaki changed the name to Teucrium teucriiflorum in the journal Taxon.[7] In 2018, Anthony Bean selected the specimens collected by Kempe as the lectotype.[8] The specific epithet (teucriiflorum), given when the species was considered to be in the genus Spartothamnus, means "Teucrium-leaved".[9]

Distribution and habitat

Teucrium teucriiflorum grows mulga-dominated, arid or semi-arid woodland and shrubland in Western Australia, southern parts of the Northern Territory and northern South Australia.[3][4][8][10]

References

1. "Teucrium teucriiflorum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
2. Munir, Ahmad A. (1976). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Spartothamnella (Chloanthaceae)" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 1 (1): 16–20. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
3. "Teucrium teucriiflorum". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
4. "Spartothamnella teucriiflora". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
5. "Spartothamnus teucriiflorus". APNI. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
6. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1882). "Definitions of some new Australian plants". Southern Science Record. 2: 55. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
7. "Teucrium teucriiflorum". APNI. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
8. Bean, Anthony R. (2018). "A conspectus of Teucrium (Lamiaceae) in Queensland". Muelleria. 37: 18. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
9. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 323. ISBN 9780958034180.
10. "Teucrium teucriiflorum". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.