Richea pandanifolia
Encyclopedia
Richea pandanifolia is a species
of flowering plant
in the family Ericaceae
, endemic to Tasmania
.
in 1844 in The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror. I. Flora Antarctica . The type was reported to be growing at "Port Davy
, Peak of Teneriffe, Frenchman's Cap, and several other mountainous situations".
There are two subspecies:
The species is more successfully propagated by seed than by cuttings.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the family Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, endemic to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
Description
It is somewhat palm-like in appearance, usually growing as a single stem or occasionally branched, and is between 2 and 12 metres in height. It has densely crowded leaves which taper to a point. The flowers appear in panicles, up to 25 centimetres long and are white to deep pink.Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by botanist Joseph Dalton HookerJoseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
in 1844 in The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror. I. Flora Antarctica . The type was reported to be growing at "Port Davy
Port Davey, Tasmania
Port Davey is an inlet on the south west coast of Tasmania. It lies next to Bathurst Harbour and is sheltered from the Roaring Forties that buffet the south and west coasts of Tasmania. It lies within the Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet Important Bird Area. It is not populated, but has over time had a...
, Peak of Teneriffe, Frenchman's Cap, and several other mountainous situations".
There are two subspecies:
- Richea pandanifolia Hook.f. subsp. pandanifolia
- Richea pandanifolia subsp. ramulosa Menadue which was fist formally described in the journal Australian Systematic BotanyAustralian Systematic BotanyAustralian Systematic Botany is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes original research, and sometimes review articles, on topics related to systematic botany, such as biogeography, taxonomy and evolution. It is published by CSIRO Publishing...
in 2000. The type specimen for this subspecies was collected from Newell Creek, near QueenstownQueenstown, TasmaniaQueenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania. It is located in a valley on western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range.It had a population of 5,119 people . At the 2006 census, Queenstown had a population of 2,117....
.
Cultivation
Though rarely seen in cultivation, the species believed to be suitable for cool climate gardens in a moist, sheltered position with good drainage. It can also be used as a container plant.The species is more successfully propagated by seed than by cuttings.