| Mirbelia pungens | |
|---|---|
| |
| Near Bemboka | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Mirbelia |
| Species: | M. pungens |
| Binomial name | |
| Mirbelia pungens A.Cunn. ex G.Don | |
Mirbelia pungens, commonly known as prickly mirbelia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect or prostrate shrub with sharply-pointed linear leaves and orange-red flowers with blue or purple markings.
Description
Mirbelia pungens is an erect or prostrate shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–0.5 m (1 ft 0 in – 1 ft 8 in), and has softly-hairy stems. Its leaves are linear and sharply pointed, mostly 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) long, about 1 mm (0.039 in) wide on a petiole up to 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to four in leaf axils on a peduncle up to about 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The sepals are 2.5–4.0 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long, softly-hairy and joined at the base, the lobes shorter than the sepal tube. The standard petal is orange-red with blue or purple markings, the keel purplish and nearly as long as the wings. Flowering occurs from September to November and the fruit is an oval pod about 3 mm (0.12 in) long.
Taxonomy
Mirbelia pungens was first formally described in 1832 by George Don in A General History of Dichlamydeous Plants from an unpublished manuscript by Allan Cunningham. The specific epithet (pungens) means "ending in a sharp, hard point".
Distribution and habitat
This mirbelia grows in stony areas in heath and is widespread in south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and in the far north-east of Victoria.
Conservation status
Mirbelia pungens is listed as "vulnerable in Victoria" on the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria.
References
- "Mirbelia pungens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ Porteners, Marianne F. "Mirbelia pungens". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- Jeanes, Jeff A. "Mirbelia pungens". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- "Mirbelia pungens". APNI. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- Don, George (1832). A General History of Dichlamydeous Plants. London: J.G and F. Rivington. p. 126. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 287. ISBN 9780958034180.
- "Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria - 2014" (PDF). Department of Sustainability and Environment (Victoria). p. 32. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Mirbelia confertiflora | |