Stylidium stenophyllum
Encyclopedia
Stylidium stenophyllum is a dicotyledon
ous plant
that belongs to the genus
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
) that was described by A.R. Bean in 2000. It is an erect annual plant
that grows from 30 to 40 cm tall. Linear
leaves, about 7-25 per plant, are scattered along the stems. The leaves are generally 36-86 mm long and 1.5-2.5 mm wide. This species generally has three to four scapes
and cymose inflorescence
s that are 28-39 cm long. Flowers are white or pink. S. stenophyllum is endemic to the far northeastern Northern Territory
of Australia
and is only known from the type location
. It has only been recorded from one sandstone monolith known as a beehive formation (so named due to its shape) where less than 100 clumps of plants survive at the concentration of about 10 individual plants per clump. For this reason, A.R. Bean suggested a vulnerable
conservation status. However it currently appears on neither the IUCN Red List
nor the EPBC Act list of threatened flora.
Its typical habitat is in the deep crevices of the sandstone beehive formations. It flowers in the southern hemisphere
from June to July. S. stenophyllum is most closely related to S. pachyrrhizum
.
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 by A.R. Bean in 2000. 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 30 to 40 cm tall. Linear
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, about 7-25 per plant, are scattered along the stems. The leaves are generally 36-86 mm long and 1.5-2.5 mm wide. This species generally has three to four 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 28-39 cm long. Flowers are white or pink. S. stenophyllum is endemic to the far northeastern 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...
and is only known from the type location
Biological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
. It has only been recorded from one sandstone monolith known as a beehive formation (so named due to its shape) where less than 100 clumps of plants survive at the concentration of about 10 individual plants per clump. For this reason, A.R. Bean suggested a vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
conservation status. However it currently appears on neither the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
nor the EPBC Act list of threatened flora.
Its typical habitat is in the deep crevices of the sandstone beehive formations. 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"...
from June to July. S. stenophyllum is most closely related to S. pachyrrhizum
Stylidium pachyrrhizum
Stylidium pachyrrhizum is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the genus Stylidium that was described by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1859. It is an erect annual plant that grows from 15 to 40 cm tall. Obovate or oblanceolate leaves, about 5-30 per plant, are scattered along the stems. The...
.