Pimelea Axiflora

''Pimelea axiflora'', commonly known as bootlace bush, is a small shrub in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a small shrub with whitish flowers on mostly smooth stems.

Description

''Pimelea axiflora'' is a small dioecious shrub high with smooth stems or occasionally hairy. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs are mostly linear or narrowly elliptic, upper surface mid-green, underside paler, long, wide on a petiole long. The leaves are green, smooth and leaf margins mostly recurved. The inflorescence consists of a cluster of 2-10 white flowers in leaf axils with little or no stalk. The male flowers are larger, long and female long. The 2-4 flower bracts are usually oval shaped and long and wide. The green fruit are long.

Taxonomy

''Pimelea axiflora'' was first formally described in 1854 by Carl Meisner and the description was published in ''Linnaea: ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange, oder Beiträge zur Pflanzenkunde''.

There are currently three subspecies accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

* ''Pimelea axiflora'' subsp. ''axiflora'', has soft leaves long, flowers thickly covered with hairs on outside near petiole, bracts usually hairy on outside. Flowering occurs from June to December. In Tasmania it is restricted to King Island. In New South Wales it grows on the coast and ranges, south of the Budawang National Park to Braidwood. A single recording north of Cooma and rare in the Snowy Mountains. This subspecies grows in wetter locations as an understory shrub in eucalypt scrubland and near streams.

* ''Pimelea axiflora'' subsp. ''alpina'' (Benth.) Threlfall, commonly known as alpine bootlace bush, is a small shrub to high, sometimes semi-prostrate, smooth stems with leaf scars. The leaves are smooth, straight, leathery, long, wide and smooth bracts, 2-5 flowers in each cluster, moderate to infrequently hairy externally in montane locations. Male flowers are long, female long and the bracts are brown, smooth and usually long. This species grows at higher altitudes in the Snowy Mountains in open heath, rocky sites, woodland and herb and grass fields. Flowering occurs from November to March.

* ''Pimelea axiflora'' subsp. ''pubescens'' Rye, commonly known as Bungonia rice-flower, is a dioecious shrub to high, stems either smooth or hairy, new stem growth with hairs long. The petiole long, underside of leaves hairy, long and wide, linear to narrowly oval, margins curled under. The upper leaf surface usually smooth and secondary veins on underside obvious. The female flowers are long, male long, 2-10 white flowers in each cluster in leaf axils, 2-4 bracts long and stalk more or less absent. Fruit are green and about long. Flowering occurs in September. It is only found in the Bungonia National Park south east of Goulburn N.S.W where it grows on rocky, limestone outcrops and cliffs.

Distribution

Bootlace bush is found at higher altitudes on the Grampians extending to the east coast in Victoria, in south-eastern New South Wales and on King Island, Tasmania.

Conservation status

* ''Pimelea axiflora'' subsp. ''axiflora'' is listed as "endangered'' under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, Tasmania.

* ''Pimelea axiflora'' subsp. ''alpina'' is considered rare in Victoria.

* ''Pimelea axiflora'' subsp. ''pubescens'' is listed as "endangered" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act due to be known from a single population containing a low number of mature plants.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17581879

axiflora
Malvales of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Victoria (state)
Flora of Tasmania
Plants described in 1854
Dioecious plants