Eriostemon

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Eriostemon
Eriostemon australasius Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park.jpg
Eriostemon australasius at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Subfamily: Zanthoxyloideae
Genus: Eriostemon
Sm. [1]
Species

Eriostemon is a genus of flowering plants of the family Rutaceae. It is native to eastern Australia and includes just two species, E. australasius and E. banksii . Eriostemon australasius, commonly known as pink wax flower, occurs between Fraser Island and Nowra and is a shrub of heathlands and low open woodlands. Eriostemon banksii is endemic to Cape York Peninsula and is a shrub or small tree occurring in heathland and rainforest margins.

Contents

Description

Plants in the genus Eriostemon are shrubs or small trees which have their thinnest branches, leaves and petals covered with fine star-like hairs (although the hairs may only be visible with a magnifying glass). The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches and are simple leaves with smooth edges. The leaves are 17–80 mm (0.7–3 in) long, 5–17 mm (0.2–0.7 in) wide and have three or five main veins. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils, and about 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) in diameter. There are five separate sepals and five petals with their edges overlapping. There are ten stamens, all with hairy filaments. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Eriostemon was first formally described in 1798 by James Edward Smith but he did not nominate a type species. The description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London . Eriostemon australasius was nominated as the lectotype by Paul Wilson in 1978. [4] [5] The genus name (Eriostemon) is derived from the Ancient Greek words erion meaning "wool" [6] : 864  and stemon meaning "stamen" [6] : 747  referring to the woolly stamens. [7]

A large number of species once classified within the genus have been placed in the newer genus Philotheca including Eriostemon verrucosus (now Philotheca verrucosa ), E. myoporoides ( Philotheca myoporoides ) and E. buxifolius ( Philotheca buxifolia ). The only two species currently included are E. australasius and E. banksii . [8] [9] [10]

Use in horticulture

Pink wax flower is described as being a "very desirable" garden plant, however it is difficult to propagate and to maintain. A semi-shaded position in well-drained soil is regarded as the conditions best suited to the species. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Philotheca</i> Genus of flowering plants

Philotheca is a genus of about fifty species of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae. Plants in this genus are shrubs with simple leaves arranged alternately along the stems, flowers that usually have five sepals, five petals and ten stamens that curve inwards over the ovary. All species are endemic to Australia and there are species in every state, but not the Northern Territory.

<i>Philotheca verrucosa</i> Species of plant

Philotheca verrucosa, commonly known as fairy wax-flower or Bendigo wax-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a small shrub with prominently glandular-warty branchlets, heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and white flowers usually arranged singly in leaf axils.

<i>Philotheca myoporoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Philotheca myoporoides, commonly known as long-leaf wax flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with sessile, oblong to egg-shaped, glandular-warty leaves and white to pink flowers arranged singly in leaf axils. Prior to 1998 it was known as Eriostemon myoporoides.

Philotheca pungens, commonly known as prickly waxflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an undershrub with linear to narrow oblong or needle-like leaves and white flowers usually arranged singly in leaf axils.

<i>Philotheca trachyphylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Philotheca trachyphylla, commonly known as rock wax-flower, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with glandular-warty, oblong to narrow egg-shaped leaves and white flowers arranged singly or in twos or threes, in leaf axils.

<i>Philotheca angustifolia</i> Species of plant

Philotheca angustifolia, commonly known as narrow-leaf wax flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and white flowers with five egg-shaped petals in spring.

<i>Philotheca brucei</i> Species of shrub

Philotheca brucei is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with cylindrical leaves grooved along the top and in spring, white to pink or mauve flowers with five egg-shaped petals.

Philotheca apiculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with narrow club-shaped leaves and small clusters of white to pink flowers on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Philotheca conduplicata</i> Species of plant

Philotheca conduplicata is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with elliptical leaves clustered near the ends of the branchlets and white flowers arranged singly or in two or threes on the ends of the branchlets.

<i>Philotheca epilosa</i> Species of plant

Philotheca epilosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end toward the base and crowded near the ends of the glandular-warty branchlets, and white flowers usually arranged singly on the ends of the branchlets.

Philotheca glabra is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to the inland south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with elliptical to club-shaped leaves and white flowers tinged with pink and arranged singly or in twos or three on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Philotheca myoporoides <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> acuta</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Philotheca myoporoides subsp. acuta is a subspecies of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a shrub with narrow oblong or narrow elliptic leaves and white flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to three in leaf axils.

<i>Philotheca myoporoides <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> brevipedunculata</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Philotheca myoporoides subsp. brevipedunculata is a subspecies of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a shrub with oblong or egg-shaped leaves and white or pink flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to three in leaf axils.

Philotheca myoporoides subsp. euroensis is a subspecies of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area in Victoria, Australia. It is a small shrub with curved, broadly elliptic leaves and white or pink flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to four in leaf axils.

<i>Philotheca myoporoides <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> myoporoides</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Philotheca myoporoides subsp. myoporoides, commonly known as long-leaf wax flower, is a subspecies of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a shrub with oblong to elliptic or egg-shaped leaves and white or pink flowers arranged in groups of three to eight in leaf axils.

Philotheca nutans is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, densely-branched shrub with club-shaped to cylindrical, glandular-warty leaves and pendent, pale yellow to pale red flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.

Philotheca obovatifolia, commonly known as mountain wax-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small shrub with broadly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end toward the base and densely crowded near the ends of the glandular-warty branchlets, and cream-coloured flowers tinged with pink and arranged singly or in groups of up to five in leaf axils.

<i>Philotheca queenslandica</i> Species of plant

Philotheca queenslandica is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Queensland. It is a wiry shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end toward the base and densely crowded near the ends of the glandular-warty branchlets, and cream-coloured flowers tinged with pink and arranged singly in leaf axils.

<i>Philotheca virgata</i> Species of plant

Philotheca virgata, commonly known as Tasmanian wax-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender, erect shrub with wedge-shaped to oblong leaves and white or pale pink flowers at the ends of branchlets. It is the only philotheca with four sepals and petals.

Philotheca wonganensis, commonly known as Wongan philotheca, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with thin, cylindrical leaves and white flowers with a pink central stripe, usually arranged singly in leaf axils.

References

  1. ↑ "Eriostemon". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  2. ↑ Weston, Peter H. "Genus Eriostemon". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  3. ↑ F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Eriostemon banksii". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Eriostemon". APNI. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Smith, James Edward (1798). "The Characters of Twenty New Genera of Plants". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 4: 221. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  6. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  7. ↑ "Eriostemon". APNI. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Bayly, Michael J.; Brophy, Joseph J.; Forster, Paul I.; Goldsack, Robert J.; Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "Reinstatement of Eriostemon banksii (Rutaceae), with a Report on the Composition of Leaf Essential Oils in E. banksii and E. australasius s. str". Australian Systematic Botany. 11 (1): 13–22. doi:10.1071/SB96010.
  9. ↑ Bayly, Michael. "A name change for most Eriostemons". Australian Native Plants Society Australia. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "A taxonomic review of the genera Eriostemon and Philotheca (Boronieae: Rutaceae)". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 239–265.
  11. ↑ "Eriostemon australasius". Australian Native Plants Society Australia. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
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