Poranthera oreophila Halford & R.J.F.Hend. APNI* Description: Compact herbaceous perennial to 30 cm high. Stem sparingly branched. Branchlets prostrate or weakly ascending, ± smooth, glabrous.
Leaves sessile or shortly petiolate, opposite, widely spaced along branches, lamina narrow-ovate, narrow-obovate or narrow-elliptic, 4.3–6.5 mm long, 1.8–3.8 mm wide, flat or rounded with margins recurved to revolute, smooth and glabrous, midrib impressed above.
Flowers in short dense terminal racemes; racemes solitary; peduncles 5–10 mm long; rachis 2–4 mm long; bracts narrow-obovate, 1.1–2 mm long.
Capsule depressed globose, 1.7–2.2 mm across, shallowly 3-lobed.
Flowering: Flowers and fruits have been collected from November to May.
Distribution and occurrence: In alpine areas of south-eastern Australia from the Brindabella Range in the ACT to the Bogong High Plains in Victoria. In stony clay loam soils in alpine tussock grassland and herbfield communities, at altitudes higher than 1300 m.
NSW subdivisions: ST
Other Australian states: Vic.
Poranthera oreophila has been identified as P. microphylla in the past but can be distinguished from that species by being dioecious and having smooth light brown seeds.
Text by C. Herscovitch, from Halford and Henderson, Austrobaileya 7(1):1-27 (2005)
Taxon concept: D. Halford and R.J.F. Henderson
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.
|
