''Pimelea humilis'', also known as common riceflower or dwarf riceflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or scrambling shrub with hairy stems, elliptic to lance-shaped leaves and heads of 12 to 52 of creamy-white,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

or female flowers.

Description

''Pimelea humilis'' is an erect or scrambling that typically grows to a height of and has densely hairy young stems. Its leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped, mostly long, wide on a short petiole. The flowers are arranged in clusters of 12 to 52 on a

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

long, surrounded by 4 or 6 egg-shaped involucral bracts long, wide and green with a yellow base. The flowers are creamy-white, the flower tube long, the sepals long, and the

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s shorter than the sepals. Flowering occurs from September to December and the fruit is green and about long. Common riceflower is similar to '' P. linifolia'' but is smaller, softer and has hairy stems.

Taxonomy

''Pimelea humilis'' was first formally described by Robert Brown in '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae'' in 1810. 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 ...

(''humilis'') means "low" or "low-growing".

Distribution and habitat

Common riceflower grows in heath, woodland, forest and grassland, often in sandy soil. It is widespread and common in Victoria, but less common in New South Wales, growing at Robertson and south of

Eden Eden may refer to: * Garden of Eden, the "garden of God" described in the Book of Genesis Places and jurisdictions Canada * Eden, Ontario * Eden High School Middle East * Eden, Lebanon, a city and former bishopric * Camp Eden, Iraq O ...

. It also occurs east of the

Mount Lofty Range The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and ...

in South Australia and in north-eastern Tasmania.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7194610 humilis Flora of New South Wales Flora of South Australia Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia) Malvales of Australia Plants described in 1810 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)