Stylidium imbricatum
Encyclopedia
Stylidium imbricatum, the tile-leaved triggerplant, is a dicotyledon
ous plant
that belongs to the genus
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
). It is an herbaceous perennial
that grows from 12–50 cm tall and has divided stems covered with tile-like leaves that are arranged in a spiral formation around the stem. The ovate-elliptic
leaves are basifixed and held closely against the stems. The leaves are around 1.5-1.8 mm long and 0.6-0.8 mm wide. Terminal inflorescence
s are racemose
or spike-like and produce flowers that are reddish violet with laterally-paired lobes and bloom from April to May in their native range. S. imbricatum is only known from south-western Western Australia
in Stirling Range National Park
and Porongurup National Park
south-east to Cheynes Beach. Its habitat is recorded as being sandy or laterite soils in swampy areas, rocky slopes, or heathland
. S. imbricatum is distinct within its subgenus because it possesses obovate sepal
s. Its conservation status
has been assessed as secure.
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...
). It is an herbaceous perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
that grows from 12–50 cm tall and has divided stems covered with tile-like leaves that are arranged in a spiral formation around the stem. The ovate-elliptic
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
leaves are basifixed and held closely against the stems. The leaves are around 1.5-1.8 mm long and 0.6-0.8 mm wide. Terminal 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 are racemose
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
or spike-like and produce flowers that are reddish violet with laterally-paired lobes and bloom from April to May in their native range. S. imbricatum is only known from south-western Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in Stirling Range National Park
Stirling Range National Park
Stirling Range National Park is a national park in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, approximately 337 km south-east of Perth.-Description:...
and Porongurup National Park
Porongurup National Park
Porongurup National Park is a national park in the Great Southern region of Western Australia , 360 km southeast of Perth and 40 km from Albany....
south-east to Cheynes Beach. Its habitat is recorded as being sandy or laterite soils in swampy areas, rocky slopes, or heathland
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
. S. imbricatum is distinct within its subgenus because it possesses obovate sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s. 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 secure.