| Woollsia | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Blue Mountains National Park | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epacridoideae |
| Tribe: | Epacrideae |
| Genus: |
Woollsia F.Muell. [2] |
| Species: | W. pungens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Woollsia pungens | |
Woollsia pungens, commonly known as snow heath, [3] is the sole species in the flowering plant genus Woollsia in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small shrub with egg-shaped leaves with a heart-shaped base, white to dark pink, tube-shaped flowers and small capsules containing many small seeds.
Description
Woollsia pungens is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.2–2 m (7.9 in – 6 ft 6.7 in) and has hairy stems. The leaves are egg-shaped, 3.5–12 mm (0.14–0.47 in) long and 1.5–6 mm (0.059–0.236 in) wide on a petiole up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long, and have a rounded to heart-shaped base and a sharp point on the end. The flowers are white to dark pink, 8–13 mm (0.31–0.51 in) in diameter and sweetly-scented. There are hairy bracts and sepals 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long. The petals are joined at the base, forming a tube 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) long with spreading lobes 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months, and the fruit is a capsule about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) in diameter, containing many small seeds. [4] [5]
Taxonomy
Antonio José Cavanilles described the species as Epacris pungens in 1797, from material collected in the Sydney district. [6] Victorian state botanist Ferdinand von Mueller proposed the new genus Woollsia in 1873 in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae, [7] though did not publish its new binomial name (Woollsia pungens) until 1875. [8] [9] The genus name (Woollsia) honours William Woolls [3] and the specific epithet (pungens) means "ending in a sharp, hard point". [10]
Genetic analysis indicates that this species is an early offshoot of a lineage that includes Lysinema ciliatum and the genus Epacris. [11] [12]
Distribution and habitat
Woollsia pungens grows in heathland with such species as saw banksia ( Banksia serrata), mountain devil ( Lambertia formosa), grasstree ( Xanthorrhoea resinifera), and open sclerophyll forest under such trees as Sydney peppermint ( Eucalyptus piperita), scribbly gum ( E. haemastoma) and red bloodwood ( Corymbia gummifera). [5] It grows along the coast and in the upper Blue Mountains from Pigeon House Mountain in southern New South Wales to south-east Queensland. [4] [5]
Ecology
Plants are thought to live 10–20 years in the wild. They are generally killed by bushfire, with new seedlings growing from seed stored in the soil. [5]
Use in horticulture
In cultivation, snow heath grows best in a part-shaded spot with good drainage and ample moisture. It can be propagated by cuttings or seed. [3]
References
- ^ "Woolsia pungens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Woolsia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Woollsia pungens". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b Powell, Jocelyn M. "Woollsia pungens". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (1995). "Ecology of Sydney plant species Part 3: Dicotyledon families Cabombaceae to Eupomatiaceae". Cunninghamia. 4 (2): 390. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ Cavanilles, Antonio J. (1797). Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum. Madrid: Ex Regia Typographia. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1873). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 55. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Woollsia pungens". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1875). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 48. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 287. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ Quinn, Christopher J.; Crowden, Ronald K.; Brown, Elizabeth A.; Southam, Michael J.; Thornhill, Andrew H.; Crayn, Darren M. (2015). "A reappraisal of the generic concepts of Epacris, Rupicola and Budawangia (Ericaceae, Epacridoideae, Epacrideae) based on phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular data". Australian Systematic Botany. 28: 63. doi: 10.1071/SB13009. S2CID 85849925.
- ^ Johnson, Karen A.; Holland, Barbara R.; Heslewood, Margaret M.; Crayn, Darren M. (2012). "Supermatrices, supertrees and serendipitous scaffolding: Inferring a well-resolved, genus-level phylogeny of Styphelioideae (Ericaceae) despite missing data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (1): 146–158. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.09.011. PMID 21967784.
| Woollsia | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| In Blue Mountains National Park | |
|
Scientific classification
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epacridoideae |
| Tribe: | Epacrideae |
| Genus: |
Woollsia F.Muell. [2] |
| Species: | W. pungens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Woollsia pungens | |
Woollsia pungens, commonly known as snow heath, [3] is the sole species in the flowering plant genus Woollsia in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small shrub with egg-shaped leaves with a heart-shaped base, white to dark pink, tube-shaped flowers and small capsules containing many small seeds.
Description
Woollsia pungens is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.2–2 m (7.9 in – 6 ft 6.7 in) and has hairy stems. The leaves are egg-shaped, 3.5–12 mm (0.14–0.47 in) long and 1.5–6 mm (0.059–0.236 in) wide on a petiole up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long, and have a rounded to heart-shaped base and a sharp point on the end. The flowers are white to dark pink, 8–13 mm (0.31–0.51 in) in diameter and sweetly-scented. There are hairy bracts and sepals 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long. The petals are joined at the base, forming a tube 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) long with spreading lobes 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months, and the fruit is a capsule about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) in diameter, containing many small seeds. [4] [5]
Taxonomy
Antonio José Cavanilles described the species as Epacris pungens in 1797, from material collected in the Sydney district. [6] Victorian state botanist Ferdinand von Mueller proposed the new genus Woollsia in 1873 in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae, [7] though did not publish its new binomial name (Woollsia pungens) until 1875. [8] [9] The genus name (Woollsia) honours William Woolls [3] and the specific epithet (pungens) means "ending in a sharp, hard point". [10]
Genetic analysis indicates that this species is an early offshoot of a lineage that includes Lysinema ciliatum and the genus Epacris. [11] [12]
Distribution and habitat
Woollsia pungens grows in heathland with such species as saw banksia ( Banksia serrata), mountain devil ( Lambertia formosa), grasstree ( Xanthorrhoea resinifera), and open sclerophyll forest under such trees as Sydney peppermint ( Eucalyptus piperita), scribbly gum ( E. haemastoma) and red bloodwood ( Corymbia gummifera). [5] It grows along the coast and in the upper Blue Mountains from Pigeon House Mountain in southern New South Wales to south-east Queensland. [4] [5]
Ecology
Plants are thought to live 10–20 years in the wild. They are generally killed by bushfire, with new seedlings growing from seed stored in the soil. [5]
Use in horticulture
In cultivation, snow heath grows best in a part-shaded spot with good drainage and ample moisture. It can be propagated by cuttings or seed. [3]
References
- ^ "Woolsia pungens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Woolsia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Woollsia pungens". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b Powell, Jocelyn M. "Woollsia pungens". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (1995). "Ecology of Sydney plant species Part 3: Dicotyledon families Cabombaceae to Eupomatiaceae". Cunninghamia. 4 (2): 390. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ Cavanilles, Antonio J. (1797). Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum. Madrid: Ex Regia Typographia. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1873). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 55. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Woollsia pungens". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1875). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 48. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 287. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ Quinn, Christopher J.; Crowden, Ronald K.; Brown, Elizabeth A.; Southam, Michael J.; Thornhill, Andrew H.; Crayn, Darren M. (2015). "A reappraisal of the generic concepts of Epacris, Rupicola and Budawangia (Ericaceae, Epacridoideae, Epacrideae) based on phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular data". Australian Systematic Botany. 28: 63. doi: 10.1071/SB13009. S2CID 85849925.
- ^ Johnson, Karen A.; Holland, Barbara R.; Heslewood, Margaret M.; Crayn, Darren M. (2012). "Supermatrices, supertrees and serendipitous scaffolding: Inferring a well-resolved, genus-level phylogeny of Styphelioideae (Ericaceae) despite missing data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (1): 146–158. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.09.011. PMID 21967784.