''Tetratheca aphylla'', also known as the Bungalbin Tetratheca, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

quandong Quandong, quandang or quondong is a common name for the species ''Santalum acuminatum'' (desert, sweet, Western quandong), especially its edible fruit, but may also refer to: * ''Aceratium concinnum'' (highroot quandong) * ''Peripentadenia mearsi ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Subspecies

* ''Tetratheca aphylla'' subsp. ''aphylla'' * ''Tetratheca aphylla'' subsp. ''megacarpa''

Description

The species grows as an erect, spreading, leafless

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

to 60 cm in height. The flowers are pink or pink-purple, appearing from September to October.

Distribution and habitat

The range of the species lies within the Coolgardie and Mallee

IBRA The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeography, biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities ( ...

bioregion A bioregion is a geographical area, on land or at sea, defined not by administrative boundaries, but by distinct characteristics such as plant and animal species, ecological systems, soils and landforms, Human settlement, human settlements, and ...

s of south-west

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, where it occurs in the Helena Aurora Range, 50 km north-north-east of Koolyanobbing, and 80 km east of Newdegate. The plants grow in pockets of skeletal soil among banded iron formations, rock outcrops and debris, in

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

Conservation

The species is listed as Vulnerable under Australia's

EPBC Act The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...

. The main potential threats are mining activities, inappropriate

fire regime A fire regime is the pattern, frequency, and intensity of the bushfires and wildfires that prevail in an area over long periods of time. It is an integral part of fire ecology, and renewal for certain types of ecosystems. A fire regime describes th ...

s and roadworks.

References

aphylla ''Aphylla'' is a widespread Neotropical genus of dragonflies of the Gomphidae family. They are commonly known as the greater forceptails because of their forceps Forceps (: forceps or considered a plural noun without a singular, often a pair ...

Eudicots of Western Australia Oxalidales of Australia Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Plants described in 1882 {{Australia-rosid-stub