Philotheca acrolopha

Philotheca acrolopha is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is only known from a small area in Queensland. It is a shrub with crowded, wedge-shaped leaves and cream-coloured to pale pink flowers.

Philotheca acrolopha
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Philotheca
Species:	P. acrolopha
Binomial name
Philotheca acrolopha Paul G.Wilson[1]

Description

Philotheca acrolopha is a shrub that grows to a height of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) with reddish branchlets. The leaves are crowded near the ends of the branchlets, wedge-shaped to heart-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 7–13 mm (0.28–0.51 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide on a short petiole. The flowers are borne singly on the ends of the branchlets on a pedicel about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long. There are five more or less round sepals about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long and five narrow egg-shaped, cream-coloured to pale pink petals about 5 mm (0.20 in) long. There are ten stamens that are fused at the base, and to the petals. Flowering has been observed in July.^[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Philotheca acrolopha was first formally described in 1998 by Paul Wilson in the journal Nuytsia. The type specimen was collected on Mount Tozer in the Iron Range National Park.^[3][4]

Distribution and habitat

This philotheca grows in heath on a granite hill and is only known from the type location.^[2]

Conservation status

This species is classified as "vulnerable" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.^[5] It was previously listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 but was removed from that list in December 2010.^[6]

References

1. "Philotheca acrolopha". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
2. Wilson, Paul G.; Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.) (2013). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. pp. 387–388. Retrieved 30 July 2020. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
3. Wilson, Paul G. (1998). "A Taxonomic Review of the genera Eriostemon and Philotheca". Nuytsia. 12 (2): 243–246. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
4. "Philotheca acrolopha". APNI. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
5. "Species profile—Philotheca acrolopha". Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
6. "Advice to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population & Communities from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) on Amendment to the list of Threatened Species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 30 July 2020.