Family: Ericaceae
Astroloma conostephioides
Citation:
F. Muell. ex Benth., Fl. Aust. 4:158 (1869).
Synonymy: Stenanthera conostephioides Sonder in Lehm., Pl. Preiss. 1:296 (1845); Styphelia sonderi F. Muell., Fragm. Phyt. Aust. 6:36 (1867); Pentataphrus behrii Schldl., Linnaea 20:618 (1847); Styphelia behrii (Schldl.)Sleumer, Blumea 12:152 (1963).
Common name: Flame heath.
Description:
Erect or spreading shrub, 30-100 cm high; leaves often crowded towards apices, suberect to reflexed, thick, convex, linear to oblong-ovate, 7-21 mm long, 0.8-2 mm wide, tip 1.1-1.5 mm long, base acute, margins recurved to revolute, surfaces glabrous, or with scale-like hairs between the 5-7 broad thickened veins below; petiole 0.5-1.2 mm long.
Flowers single; bracts and bracteoles obtuse, apiculate, glabrous or puberulent near the apex, bracts 6-9, from 1.4 x 0.9 to 5.2-8 x 5-7 mm; bracteoles 6.3-10.5 x 5.57.6 mm; sepals elliptic, 7.7-14 x 4-7.2 mm, acute to acuminate, glabrous or puberulent near the apex, margins ciliolate; corolla tube bright-red, 6.8-14 mm long, campanulate to conical, constricted at the summit, externally pubescent above the calyx, lobes narrow-triangular, 5-6.5 mm long, pubescent externally, internally with a dense tuff of hairs near the apex; anthers 1.6-2.6 mm long, attached above the middle; ovary ovoid, 0.9-1.5 x 0.9-1.6 mm, glabrous, style 10-19.2 mm long, nectary 0.4-0.7 mm high.
fruit not seen.
Published illustration:
Costermans ( 1981) Native trees and shrubs of south-eastern Australia, p. 259.
Distribution:
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Occurs in mallee scrub and in dry open forest on sandy loam or quartzite sand.
Vic.
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Conservation status:
native
Flowering time: April — Nov.; fruit: Sept. — Oct.
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SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia
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Biology:
No text
Author:
Not yet available
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