''Cryptandra glabriflora'' is a flowering plant in the family

Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales. The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...

and is endemic to Kalbarri National Park in Western Australia. It is a low shrub with linear or oblong leaves and clusters of white or pink, tube-shaped flowers.

Description

''Cryptandra glabriflora'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of , and has many rigid, glabrous, spiny branches. The leaves are linear to oblong, long and glabrous, with the edges rolled under. The flowers are white or pink, sessile, clustered along the branches and more or less glabrous. The floral tube is broadly bell-shaped, long, surrounded by broad, overlapping

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s and has spreading lobes. Flowering occurs from May to August.

Taxonomy and naming

''Cryptandra glabriflora'' was first formally described in 1863 by George Bentham in '' Flora Australiensis'' from specimens collected near the Murchison River by

Augustus Oldfield Augustus Frederick Oldfield (1821–1887) was an English botanist and zoologist who made large collections of plant specimens in Australia. Oldfield was born on 12 January 1821 in London, England. He made botanical collections in Tasmania, the coa ...

. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''glabriflora '') means "glabrous-flowered".

Distribution and habitat

This cryptandra is only known from Kalbarri National Park where it grows on plains in sand or gravelly soils.

Conservation status

This cryptandra is listed as " Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15537859 glabriflora Rosales of Australia Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1863 Taxa named by George Bentham