''Euphrasia semipicta'', commonly known as the Peninsular eyebright, flowering plant

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 the

Tasman Peninsula The Tasman Peninsula, officially Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, is a peninsula located in south-east Tasmania, Australia, approximately by the Arthur Highway, south-east of Hobart. The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsu ...

in south-eastern Tasmania/ luturwita.

Description

This species is a short lived

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), a ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb. Its height is usually below . Its stems are erect, branching above ground level. Its leaves are alternating opposite pairs, long and wide, appear semi-succulent with obvious deep venations with no more than 6 teeth per leaf, underside of leaf with characteristic patches of

glands A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

typical to most eyebrights, green to reddish in colour. Its flowers are in

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

s situated at the end of branches, racemes with 5 – 10 pairs of flowers arranged in alternating opposite pairs, floral bracts similar to leaves. Individual flowers are hooded with three lobed lower lips, lower lips larges than upper. White, pink or purple in colour, often purple lines extending from throat, occasionally yellow spot on the inside of the lower lobes, flowering early spring, seasonally dependant autumn flowering. The fruit is a capsule long, slightly flattened.

Naming

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''Euphrasia'' (delight, good cheer) referring to its common use as a herbal remedy from eye related ailments.

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''semi'' (half) and ''pictus'' (brightly marked, painted) refers to the bright purple lines extending from the throat of the flower, but indicating the lines are not seen as prominently as on other species.

Life history

''Euphrasia semipicta'' has an annual to relatively short lived (up to 5yr) perennial life cycle. Following reproductive activity, new growth is rarely stimulated and have a high mortality rate. For this reason, successful seedling

recruitment Recruitment is #Process, the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for Job (role), jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the process involved in ...

is required for the population to persist. Exposure to light is the major requirement for Euphrasia seedlings to

germinate Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an flowering plant, angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the sp ...

. Ground lacking overhead canopy or open field conditions are preferential for recruitment.Threatened Species Section (2011). ''Tasmanian lowland Euphrasia species Flora Recovery Plan''. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart

/ref> Germination occurs in the late winter to early spring. Seeds require a period of cooling and adequate dampening prior to and post germination. Stronger germination events have been linked to unusually wet spring periods. Large germination events have been recorded following fire, indicating that germination may be linked to cues additional to the seeds exposure to light. Low seed dispersal potential (majority of seeds spread within 30 cm of parental plant) combined with copious seed production suggests seeds may lie Dormancy, dormant in the soil for extended periods of time prior to germination.

Distribution and habitat

The eyebrights distribution is limited to a few known populations, all located on the eastern side of the

r, south-east Tasmania / Lutruwita. Populations are transient and current distribution information may not be representative of extant populations. Historically the Euphrasia have been located in 5 populations on the Peninsular. The extreme

endemism 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 ...

of this species is likely due to its poor dispersion and disturbance reliant lifecycle. Habitat consists of coastal heathy-woodlands and

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

lands. Prefer low sparse vegetation, hence their abundance along the edges of cleared tracks and trails. ''Euphrasia semipicta'' is highly adapted to disturbance and will favour germination and recruitment following disturbance event such as fire or earth movement. Distribution within these habitats is limited by availability of light and open patches.

Ecology

''Euphrasia'' species are hemi-parasites. Hemi-parasitism allows the plant to acquire nutrient and/or water from the host plant whilst still being capable of

photosynthesis Photosynthesis ( ) is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabo ...

. Parasitic connection is made though specialised roots called

haustorium In botany and mycology, a haustorium (plural haustoria) is a rootlike structure that grows into or around another structure to absorb water or nutrients. For example, in mistletoe or members of the broomrape family, the structure penetrates th ...

. ''Euphrasia'' are non-obligate/ facultative parasite does not require a host in order to complete its life cycle, but given the chance will parasitise. Growth and reproduction rate is greatly reduced in the absence of a host. Euphrasia are non-host specific.

Conservation

''Euphrasia semipicta'' is currently listed as ‘

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

’ under the EPBC Act 1999 and TSP Act 1995. Disturbance required to stimulate recruitment makes inadequate or inappropriate fire/ disturbance regimes problematic if unable to sufficiently aid germination. The

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...

nature of the plant makes it indirectly susceptible to additional ecosystem threats affecting surrounding plant species (specifically ''

Phytophthora ''Phytophthora'' (from Greek (''phytón''), "plant" and (), "destruction"; "the plant-destroyer") is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes (water molds), whose member species cause economic losses on crops worldwide, as well as environmental dam ...

'') in heathland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15323974 Parasitic plants Endemic flora of Tasmania semipicta Taxa named by William Robert Barker