Stylidium divergens
Encyclopedia
Stylidium divergens is a dicotyledon
ous plant
that belongs to the genus
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
) that was described as a new species in 2000. The specific epithet divergens means diverging or separating, referring to the widely spreading posterior petal
s. It is an erect annual plant
that grows from 7 to 27 cm tall. Obovate
, orbicular, or elliptical leaves, about 2-6 per plant, form a basal rosette
. The leaves are generally 4-21 mm long and 3-5 mm wide. This species generally has one to six scapes
and cymose inflorescence
s that are 4-24 cm long. Flowers are white or mauve. S. divergens is endemic to Kakadu National Park
in the Northern Territory
of Australia
. Its typical habitats are sandstone slopes and gullies. It flowers in the southern hemisphere
in April. S. divergens is most closely related to S. accedens
. Its conservation status
has been assessed as data deficient
.
Dicotyledon
The dicotyledons, also known as dicots, are a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group...
ous plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
that belongs to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
Stylidiaceae
The family Stylidiaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It consists of five genera with over 240 species, most of which are endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Members of Stylidiaceae are typically grass-like herbs or small shrubs and can be perennials or annuals...
) that was described as a new species in 2000. The specific epithet divergens means diverging or separating, referring to the widely spreading posterior petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s. It is an erect annual plant
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
that grows from 7 to 27 cm tall. Obovate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
, orbicular, or elliptical leaves, about 2-6 per plant, form a basal rosette
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
. The leaves are generally 4-21 mm long and 3-5 mm wide. This species generally has one to six scapes
Scape (botany)
In botany, scapes are leafless flowering stems that rise from the ground. Scapes can have a single flower or many flowers, depending on the species....
and cymose inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s that are 4-24 cm long. Flowers are white or mauve. S. divergens is endemic to Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Its typical habitats are sandstone slopes and gullies. It flowers in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
in April. S. divergens is most closely related to S. accedens
Stylidium accedens
Stylidium accedens is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the genus Stylidium . The specific epithet is from the Latin accedens, which means "resembling", referring to the resemblance of this species to another Stylidium species, S. uliginosum, which it was often confused for in the past...
. Its conservation status
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
has been assessed as data deficient
Data Deficient
Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
.