Lechenaultia juncea

Lechenaultia juncea, commonly known as reed-like leschenaultia,^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, perennial herb or shrub with crowded, fleshy leaves, and pale blue flowers.

Reed-like leschenaultia
Conservation status
Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Goodeniaceae
Genus:	Lechenaultia
Species:	L. juncea
Binomial name
Lechenaultia juncea E.Pritz.[1]

Description

Lechenaultia juncea is an erect, perennial herb or shrub that typically grows to a height of up to about 50 cm (20 in), and is sparsely branched. Its leaves are fleshy, crowded on the lower stems, sparsely arranged on the flowering stems, 8.5–16 mm (0.33–0.63 in) long. The flowers are arranged in loose groups, the sepals 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, the petals pale blue, 14–18 mm (0.55–0.71 in) long with long, soft hairs inside the petal tube. The wings on the lower lobes are 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.138 in) wide and those on the upper petal lobes, if present, are 0.3–0.9 mm (0.012–0.035 in) wide. Flowering occurs from November to December.^[2][3]

Taxonomy

Lechenaultia juncea was first formally described in 1905 by Ernst Georg Pritzel in Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie from specimens collected near Watheroo.^[4][5] The specific epithet (juncea) means "rush-like".^[6]

Distribution and habitat

Reed-like leschenaultia grows in heath in gravel or sandy soils between Three Springs and Gunyidi in the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic regions of south-western Western Australia.^[2][3]

Conservation status

This leschenaultia is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,^[2] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.^[7]

References

1. "Lechenaultia juncea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
2. "Lechenaultia juncea". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
3. Morrison, David A. "Lechenaultia juncea". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
4. "Lechenaultia juncea". APNI. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
5. Pritzel, Ernst G. (1904). "Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae occidentalis. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pflanzen Westaustraliens, ihrer Verbreitung und ihrer Lebensverhaltnisse". Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie. 35 (4): 553. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
6. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 229. ISBN 9780958034180.
7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 12 February 2022.