''Phebalium bifidum'' is a species of small, erect shrub that 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 the

Capertee Valley The Capertee Valley (pronounced Kay-per-tee) is a large canyon in New South Wales, Australia, north-west of Sydney that is noted to be the widest canyon in the world, exceeding the Grand Canyon. It is located kilometres north-west of Sydney, ...

in New South Wales. It is more or less covered with glossy scales and has bilobed leaves and cream-coloured to bright yellow flowers arranged in

umbel UMBEL (Upper Mapping and Binding Exchange Layer) is a logically organized knowledge graph of 34,000 concepts and entity types that can be used in information science for relating information from disparate sources to one another. It was retired ...

s on the ends of branchlets.

Description

''Phebalium bifidum'' is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of and is more or less covered with glossy, grey to rust-coloured scales. Its adult leaves are Y-shaped, long 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. The flowers are cream-coloured to bright yellow and arranged in

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

umbels on the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel about long. 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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s are joined to form a cup-shaped

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about long and wide, densely covered with on the outside. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are more or less elliptical, long and wide and scaly on the outside. Flowering occurs from August to October.

Taxonomy and naming

''Phebalium bifidum'' was first formally described in 2004 by

Peter Weston Peter Weston (19 October 1943 – 5 January 2017) was a British science fiction fan from Birmingham, UK. Weston made many contributions in fan writing, fanzine editing, convention-running and in local science fiction clubs. His 1960s pseudonym ...

and Margaret Turton in the journal '' Telopea'' from specimens collected in the Capertee Valley in 2003.

Distribution and habitat

This phebalium grows in woodland and heath. It is only known from the Capertee Valley.

Conservation status

''Phebalium bifidum'' is classified as "endangered" under the New South Wales Government '' Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18083525 bifidum Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 2004