Common name: Poison Pratia
Lobelia concolor R.Br. APNI* Synonyms: Pratia concolor (R.Br.) Druce APNI*
Description: Perennial herb, dioecious; branches prostrate or ascending, often zigzagging, glabrous; roots ± fleshy.
Leaves often distichous, oblong-oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 10–30 mm long, 3–15 mm wide, apex obtuse or acute, margins ± toothed, glabrous; ± sessile.
Flowers unisexual; peduncles 3–13 mm long, recurved in fruit. Calyx lobes 2.5–4 mm long. Corolla 6–9 mm long, white or pink, tinged purple; lobes spreading to recurved, ± equal except that the notch between the 2 posterior ones is deeper, hairy inside. Male flowers with blue-black anthers, 2 upper ones glabrous except for apical bristles; ovary rudimentary. Female flowers with pale sterile anthers; ovary 2–5 mm long.
Fruit 4–8 mm long, glabrous, indehiscent.
Flowering: mainly January–April
Distribution and occurrence: Usually grows on heavy soils in moist depressions; widespread.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. W.A. S.A. N.T.
Suspected of poisoning stock but rarely browsed.
Text by B. Wiecek
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992) as Pratia concolor
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.
|
