''Dicliptera maclearii '' is a species of plant in the family

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae () is a Family (biology), family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are Tropics, tropical Herbaceous plant, herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epip ...

which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...

, an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n territory in the north-eastern

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. Its

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

honours John Maclear, captain of the survey vessel HMS ''Flying Fish'', which visited Christmas Island in 1886.Flora of Australia Online.

Description

''Dicliptera maclearii'' is an erect herb with small pink

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s growing to 1 m in height. Its

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are lanceolate to ovate, acuminate or spine-tipped, 20–70 mm long and 5–30 mm wide. It closest relative is '' D. ciliata''.

Distribution and habitat

Found only on Christmas Island, it is common in places on the lower terraces of the island, including at

Flying Fish Cove Flying Fish Cove ( zh, 飞鱼湾, ) is the capital city and main settlement of Christmas Island. Although it was originally named after the British survey-ship ''HMS Flying Fish (1873), Flying-Fish'', many maps simply label it "The Settlement" ...

and North West Point.

References

Notes

Sources

* * maclearii Endemic flora of Christmas Island Lamiales of Australia Plants described in 1890 Taxa named by William Hemsley (botanist) {{Acanthaceae-stub