''Leucopogon cochlearifolius'' is a species of flowering plant in the heath 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-west of Western Australia. It is a bushy shrublet with many branchlets, triangular to spoon-shaped leaves, and white flowers arranged in clusters on short side-shoots.

Description

''Leucopogon cochlearifolius'' is a bushy shrublet that typically grows to a height of . Long shoots have few triangular to spoon-shaped leaves long and wide on a petiole long. Leaves on short flowering shoots are crowded near the tip and are slightly smaller than those on long shoots. The flowers are arranged in groups of three to seven at the ends of short side-branches, with egg-shaped bracts and broadly egg-shaped

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 ...

. 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 broadly lance-shaped, about long, the petals white or pale brown and joined at the base to form a tube about long, the lobes about twice as long as the petal tube and densely bearded on the inside. Flowering occurs from July to January.

Taxonomy and naming

''Leucopogon cochlearifolius'' was first formally described in 1986 by

Arne Strid P. Arne K. Strid (born March 7, 1943 in Kristianstad, Sweden) is a Swedish botanist and expert on Greek flora. Biography He studied botany, chemistry and genetics in the University of Lund and graduated in 1970. His doctorate was about an experi ...

in the journal '' Willdenowia'' from specimens he collected north of Badgingarra in 1982. 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 ...

(''cochlearifolius'') means "spoon-leaved".

Distribution and habitat

This leucopogon grows on sand or gravelly laterite in the

Avon Wheatbelt The Avon Wheatbelt is a bioregion in Western Australia. It has an area of . It is considered part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion. Geography The Avon Wheatbelt bioregion is mostly a gently undulating landscape with low reli ...

Geraldton Sandplains Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

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 geo ...

bioregions of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status

''Leucopogon cochlearifolius'' is classified as "not threatened" 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 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17240771 cochlearifolius Ericales of Australia Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1986 Taxa named by Arne Strid