| Acrotriche dura | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
 Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Acrotriche |
| Species: | A. dura |
| Binomial name | |
| Acrotriche dura (Benth.) Quinn | |
Acrotriche dura is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to southern Western Australia. It is a slender, erect, glabrous shrub, with oblong to linear leaves, and spikes of tube-shaped white flowers, and flattened spherical drupes.
Description
Acrotriche dura is a slender, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and has glabrous branches. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped, slightly sharply-pointed, 4–9 mm (0.16–0.35 in) long on a short petiole. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to 3 in leaf axils with very small bracts and bracteoles, the sepals about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, and the petals are joined at the base forming a white tube about 4 mm (0.16 in), with lobes as long as the petal tube. Flowering occurs from August to September, and the fruit is a flattened spherical drupe 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long.
Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 1868 by George Bentham who gave it the name Leucopogon durus in his Flora Australiensis. In 2005, Christopher John Quinn transferred the species to Acrotriche as A. dura in Australian Systematic Botany. The specific epithet (dura) means "hard", referring to the habit and leaves.
Distribution and habitat
Acrotriche dura grows on loam over granite in valley slopes and road verges in the Esperance Plains bioregion of southern Western Australia.
Conservation status
This species is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is rare or near threatened.
References
- "Acrotriche cordata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Bentham, George (1868). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 4. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 221. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Acrotriche dura". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- "Leucopogon durus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- "Acrotriche dura". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780958034180.
- "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Acrotriche dura | |
| Leucopogon durus | |