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Styphelia fletcheri
In Namadgi National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Styphelia
Species:	S. fletcheri
Binomial name
Styphelia fletcheri (Maiden & Betche) Maiden and Betche
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms
Leucopogon fletcheri Maiden & Betche

Styphelia fletcheri is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a densely-branched shrub with sharply-pointed oblong leaves, and pendent, tube-shaped white flowers in pairs in upper leaf axils.

Description

Styphelia fletcheri is a densely-branched shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) and has rough-textured branchlets. Its leaves are oblong to linear and sharply pointed, 3.7–8 mm (0.15–0.31 in) long and 1.4–3.1 mm (0.055–0.122 in) wide on a petiole up to 0.3 mm (0.012 in) long. The flowers are white and pendent, arranged singly, in pairs or threes in upper leaf axils on a peduncle up to 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, with bracteoles 1.2–1.6 mm (0.047–0.063 in) long at the base. The sepals are 2.6–4.7 mm (0.10–0.19 in) long, the petal tube 2.6–4.8 mm (0.10–0.19 in) long and softly hairy above the middle, the lobes 2.4–3.8 mm (0.094–0.150 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is a glabrous, egg-shaped to elliptic drupe 3.0–5.3 mm (0.12–0.21 in) long.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1897 by Joseph Maiden and Ernst Betche in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from specimens collected near Springwood by Joseph James Fletcher in September 1887. In 1916, Maiden and Betche transferred the species to the genus Styphelia as S. fletcheri in A Census of New South Wales Plants.

In 1993, Jocelyn Marie Powell and G.Robertson described subspecies brevisepalus in the journal Telopea and in 2020, Hislop, Crayn & Puente-Lel. transferred the subspecies and that of the autonym, to Styphelia, and the subspecies names are accepted by the Plants of the World Online:

• Styphelia fletcheri (J.M.Powell) Hislop, Crayn & Puente-Lel. subsp. brevisepalus typically grows to a height of 0.3–1.0 m (1 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in), has leaves 3.7–7.8 mm (0.15–0.31 in) long and 1.7–3.1 mm (0.067–0.122 in) wide, a petal tube 2.6–3.9 mm (0.10–0.15 in) long, the lobes 2.4–3.1 mm (0.094–0.122 in) long and fruit 3.0–3.4 mm (0.12–0.13 in) long.
• Styphelia fletcheri subsp. fletcheri Maiden & Betche typically grows to a height of 1.5–1.8 m (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 11 in), has leaves 4.5–8.0 mm (0.18–0.31 in) long and 1.4–1.9 mm (0.055–0.075 in) wide, a petal tube 3.5–4.8 mm (0.14–0.19 in) long, the lobes 2.8–3.8 mm (0.11–0.15 in) long and fruit 4.7–5.0 mm (0.19–0.20 in) long.

Distribution and habitat

This species of Styphelia grows in woodland in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and in montane and subalpine areas of eastern Victoria where it is known as Styphelia fletcheri subsp. brevisepala. Subspecies fletcheri grows in woodland and shrubland, but is restricted to the area between St Albans and Annangrove in north-western Sydney.

Conservation status

Styphelia fletcheri (as Leucopogon fletcheri) is listed as "endangered" under the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threats to the subspecies include habitat loss and fragmentation, inappropriate fire regimes and weed invasion.

References

1. ^ "Styphelia fletcheri". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
2. ^ Powell, Jocelyn M. "Leucopogon fletcheri". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
3. "Leucopogon fletcheri". APNI. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
4. Maiden, Joseph; Betche, Ernst (1897). "Description of three new species of Australian plants". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 22 (1): 152. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
5. ^ Powell, Jocelyn M.; Robertson, G. (1993). "New species and subspecies of Leucopogon (Epacridaceae) in New South Wales". Telopea. 5 (2): 391–397. doi:10.7751/telopea19934982. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
6. "Styphelia fletcheri subsp. brevisepala". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
7. "Styphelia fletcheri subsp. fletcheri". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
8. Messina, Andre; Klazenga, Niels. "Styphelia fletcheri subsp. brevisepala". Retrieved 28 October 2022.
9. ^ "Leucopogon fletcheri subsp. fletcheri - profile". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 28 October 2022.

• Styphelia
• Ericales of Australia
• Flora of New South Wales
• Flora of Victoria (state)
• Flora of the Australian Capital Territory
• Plants described in 1897
• Taxa named by Joseph Maiden
• Taxa named by Ernst Betche