''Sphaerolobium gracile'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
and is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...
to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, straggling or prostrate shrub that typically grows to a height of up to and has a few short, linear leaves and yellow or orange flowers from September to January.
It was first formally described in 1864 by
George Bentham in ''
Flora Australiensis'' from specimens collected north of 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 ...
(''gracile'') means "thin" or "slender".
''Sphaerolobium gracile'' grows in sand in the
Avon Wheatbelt,
Geraldton Sandplains and
Swan Coastal Plain
The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...
bioregions of south-western Western Australia and is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government
The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...
.
References
gracile
Gracility is slenderness, the condition of being gracile, which means slender. It derives from the Latin adjective ''gracilis'' (masculine or feminine), or ''gracile'' ( neuter), which in either form means slender, and when transferred for examp ...
Eudicots of Western Australia
Plants described in 1864
Taxa named by George Bentham
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