''Androcalva johnsonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...

and 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 ...

to central Queensland. It is a low, spreading shrub that has hairy young branches, narrowly egg-shaped or oblong leaves with rounded teeth, and small groups of white to pale pink flowers.

Description

''Androcalva johnsonii'' is a low spreading shrub that typically grows to high and wide, its branches covered with yellowish, star-shaped hairs. The leaves are narrowly egg-shaped to oblong, long and wide on a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

long with narrowly triangular

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s long at the base. The edges of the leaves have well-spaced, rounded lobes and are curved down, both surfaces of the leaves covered with white or yellowish, star-shaped hairs. The flowers are arranged in groups of 2 to 4 on a peduncle long, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long, with linear

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s long at the base. The flowers are white to pale pink and in diameter with 5 petal-like

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s, the lobes long. The petals are long, the

ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above g ...

s pink and shorter than the sepal lobes and with 3 lobes, the middle lobe egg-shaped. Flowering occurs sporadically between June and September.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 2006 by Gordon Guymer who gave it the name ''Commersonia johnsonii'' in the journal ''

Austrobaileya ''Austrobaileya'' is the sole genus in the plant family Austrobaileyaceae – the family is thus 'monotypic' as it includes a single child taxon. It is one of the basal angiosperm families, the most ancient group of flowering plants. The genu ...

'' from specimens collected near

Springsure Springsure is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Springsure had a population of 950 people. Geography Springsure is situated by road ...

in 1960. In 2011, Carolyn Wilkins and Barbara Whitlock transferred the species to ''Androcalva'' as ''A. johnsonii'' in ''

Australian Systematic Botany ''Australian Systematic Botany'' is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal published by CSIRO Publishing. It is devoted to publishing original research, and sometimes review articles, on topics related to systematic botany, such as b ...

''. The

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 ...

(''johnsonii'') honours Robert William Johnson, who collected the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

specimens of this species.

Distribution and habitat

''Androcalva johnsonii'' grows as an undershrub in woodland and shrubland on rocky hillsides on the Zamia Range in Minerva Hills National Park in central Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17579643 johnsonii Malvales of Australia Flora of Queensland Plants described in 2005