''Conostephium prolatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...

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 els ...

to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub usually with narrowly egg-shaped or narrowly triangular leaves with the narrower end toward the base, and more or less pendulous, spindle-shaped, cream to straw-coloured and dark purple flowers.

Description

''Conostephium prolatum'' is an erect shrub that typically grows up to high and wide, and has many branches from near its base. The leaves are narrowly egg-shaped or narrowly triangular with the narrower end toward the base, sometimes linear, long and wide on a petiole long. The upper surface of the leaves is

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part o ...

and shiny, the lower surface more or less glabrous but paler. The flowers are more or less pendulous with 6 to 10 broadly egg-shaped floral bracts, the upper bracts long, and egg-shaped or broadly egg-shaped, cream to straw-coloured

bracteoles 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 ...

long and wide. The

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s are egg-shaped or narrowly egg-shaped, long, the petal tube spindle-shaped and long and dark purple, the lobes white. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is oval or broadly oval and long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Conostephium prolatum'' was first formally described in 2013 by

Michael Hislop Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'' from specimens he collected in the south of the

Fitzgerald River National Park Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in the Shires of Ravensthorpe and the Jerramungup in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is recognised on Australia's National Heritage List for its outstanding diversity of nativ ...

in 2011. 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 ...

(''prolatum'') means "lengthened" or "extended", referring to the leaves, which are longer than those of the similar '' C. roei''.

Distribution and habitat

This species usually grows in near-coastal heath and is only known from the south-east of the Fitzgerald National Park in the

Esperance Plains Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is ...

bioregion of southern Western Australia.

Conservation status

This conostephium is listed as " Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government department responsible for managing lands and waters described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'', the ''Rottnest Island ...

, meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q51048397 prolatum Epacridoideae Eudicots of Western Australia Ericales of Australia Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 2013