''Waltheria virgata'' 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
mallow family,
Malvaceae
Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...
, that is found in the north of
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 ...
,
and in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
.
Description
''Waltheria virgata'' is an erect, much branched shrub growing from a height of 0.3 m to 1 m high, and up to 1 m wide.
Its leaves and stems are thinly to densely covered in stellate (star-shaped) hairs.
Its pink-purple flowers may be seen from April to May or July to October.
[ ]
Habitat
It grows on red sand and stony soils, on plains, on rocky hills, and in stony creeks.[
]
Taxonomy and naming
It was first described in 1917 by Alfred James Ewart
Alfred James Ewart, FRS (12 February 1872 – 12 September 1937) was an English-Australian botanist.
Early life and education
Ewart was born in Toxteth Park, Liverpool, England, second son of Edmund Brown Ewart, B.A. and his wife, Marth ...
& Isabel Clifton Cookson
Isabel Clifton Cookson (25 December 1893 – 1 July 1973) was an Australian botanist who specialised in palaeobotany and palynology.
Early years and education
Cookson was born at Hawthorn, Victoria, Hawthorn, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, an ...
.[ There are no synonyms.]Botanical Latin
Botanical Latin is a technical language based on Neo-Latin, used for descriptions of botanical taxa. From 1935 to 2011, the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature mandated Botanical Latin to be used for the descriptions of new taxa (other tha ...
adjective describing the plant as having "straight slender not very flexible twigs".
References
External links
''Waltheria virgata'' occurrence data
from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgama ...
*
Byttnerioideae
Eudicots of Western Australia
Flora of the Northern Territory
Plants described in 1917
{{Byttnerioideae-stub