Epacris lithophila Crowden & Menadue APNI* Description: An erect sparsely branched shrub up to 30 cm high; young branches rounded, hirsute, red-brown; old stems dark brown with prominent leaf scars.
Leaves flat to slightly recurved, semi-appressed to spreading, oblanceolate to elliptic, 6–14 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, glabrous or pubescent; apex obtuse, blunt; base cuneate; margin entire, thickened with intramarginal vein; 3 main veins prominent; petiole approximately 1 mm long.
Flowers creamish-white, 4–5 mm diam., extending down new branches, pedicels approx. 2 mm long; bracts ovate, the larger ones distinctly keeled, hirsute especially along the keel and near the tip; margin ciliate; sepals ovate to elliptic 3–4 mm long, approx. ½ length of corolla tube, keeled with hairs along keel; margin ciliate; apex acute; corolla tube 7–9 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide at throat, cylindrical with slight bulge above mid-point, glabrous; lobes spreading 2–2.5 mm long, apex rounded; corolla persistent. Anthers brown, 1 mm long, sub-sessile, attached by top half below junction of lobes; style 4–6 mm long, cylindrical; stigma rounded, below base of anthers; nectary scales truncated, about 1/5 height of ovary.
Capsule 2–3 mm diam.
Flowering: Nov–Dec
Distribution and occurrence:
NSW subdivisions: CT
ECOLOGY
Life History
Flowers Creamish-white, November--December.
Fruit/seed Capsule 2--3 mm diam.
Habitat
Habitat In crevices on rock faces, base of cliffs.
Altitude 700--1000 m
Annual rainfall 1200--1400 mm
Substrate Sandstone rock faces.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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