Stylidium scandens
Encyclopedia
Stylidium scandens is a dicotyledon
ous plant
that belongs to the genus
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
). S. scandens is endemic
to Australia
and is found primarily in the southwestern region of Western Australia
. It is unique among triggerplants in that its leaves, five centimeters (two inches) long, end in a recurved barb that can grab hold of other vegetation and scramble or climb up to 30–60 cm in height over other plants, which is how it obtained its common name. Flowers are bright pink and about 15 mm wide.
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...
). S. scandens is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to 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...
and is found primarily in the southwestern region of 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...
. It is unique among triggerplants in that its leaves, five centimeters (two inches) long, end in a recurved barb that can grab hold of other vegetation and scramble or climb up to 30–60 cm in height over other plants, which is how it obtained its common name. Flowers are bright pink and about 15 mm wide.