Flora of Australia Online
LECHENAULTIA
D.A.Morrison
Lechenaultia R.Br., Prodr. 581 (1810); named after Jean-Baptiste Louis-Claude-Theodore Leschenault de la Tour (1773–1826), botanist with Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia (1800–1804)
Hierarchical Names List Entry
Type: Lechenaultia formosa R.Br.
Lechenaultia a. Latouria Endl., Gen. Pl. 508 (1838); Latouria (Endl.) Lindl., Veg. Kingd. 2nd edn, 695 (1847); Lechenaultia sect. Latouria (Endl.) Benth., Fl. Austral. 4: 43 (1868). T: Lechenaultia filiformis R.Br.
Ericopsis C.A.Gardner, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. W. Australia 9: 42 (1923). T: E. formosus C.A.Gardner.
Perennial herbs or small shrubs, often suckering. Stems several to many, usually glabrous; rootstock woody. Leaves sessile, linear, narrowly lanceolate to ovate, entire, usually glabrous. Inflorescence cymose; flowers sessile; bracts and bracteoles leaf-like, rarely reduced. Sepals linear to narrowly lanceolate, usually glabrous. Corolla bilabiate, usually glabrous outside, hairy inside, red, blue, mauve, white or yellow; free lobes lanceolate, winged. Filaments free; anthers cohering in a tube; pollen grains in tetrads. Ovary inferior, usually erect, 2-locular; ovules numerous, axial; indusium 2-lipped, ciliate. Fruit capsule-like, elongated, retaining outer floral whorls; valves 4, longitudinal. Seeds in articles, with woody endocarp of inner locule wall. x = 9, 18 (6 species) W.J.Peacock, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 88: 8–27 (1963).
A genus the Flora of Australia publication listed with 26 species, all occurring in Australia, with one extending to New Guinea; 20 species endemic in south-western W.A. The Australian Plant Census lists 29 species.
The scientific name is often incorrectly spelt as Leschenaultia , although this spelling is used in vernacular names.
G.Bentham, Leschenaultia , Fl. Austral. 4: 38–44 (1898); K.Krause, Leschenaultia , Pflanzenr. 54: 97–109 (1912); D.A.Morrison, Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on Lechenaultia R.Br. (Goodeniaceae), Brunonia 9: 1–28 (1986); D.A.Morrison, The phytogeography, ecology and conservation status of Lechenaultia R.Br. (Goodeniaceae), Kingia 1: 85–133 (1987); D.A.Morrison, Notes on the fruits of Lechenaultia R.Br. (Goodeniaceae), with a new species from northern Australia, Telopea 3: 159–166 (1988).
KEY TO SECTIONS
| 1 |
Corolla tube forming a complete cylinder, erect |
sect. LECHENAULTIA
|
| 1: |
Corolla tube cleft to base, open on adaxial side |
2
|
| 2 |
Wings on adaxial petal lobes always present |
sect. PATENTES
|
| 2: |
Wings on adaxial petal lobes usually absent |
sect. LATOURIA
|
KEY TO SPECIES
| 1 |
Inside of corolla hairy throughout tube or only towards top of tube, usually also hairy on free part of lobes |
2
|
| 1: |
Inside of corolla hairy only in a tuft at base of tube |
18
|
| 2 |
Central adaxial sepal conspicuously longer than other sepals |
3
|
| 2: |
All sepals same length |
4
|
| 3 |
Leaves more than 12 mm long, narrow |
filiformis
|
| 3: |
Leaves less than 10 mm long, ovate to narrowly ovate |
ovata
|
| 4 |
Wings on adaxial petals almost as wide as those on abaxial petals; adaxial wings usually more than 1 mm wide |
5
|
| 4: |
Wings on adaxial petals much narrower than those on abaxial petals; adaxial wings usually less than 1 mm wide and often absent |
9
|
| 5 |
Leaves and sepals hairy |
pulvinaris
|
| 5: |
Leaves and sepals glabrous |
6
|
| 6 |
Style more than 11 mm long |
7
|
| 6: |
Style less than 9 mm long |
8
|
| 7 |
Tips of branches curved downwards |
linarioides
|
| 7: |
Tips of branches straight |
stenosepala
|
| 8 |
Wings on petals more than 2 mm wide; ovary more than 9 mm long |
biloba
|
| 8: |
Wings on petals less than 2 mm wide; ovary less than 8 mm long |
expansa
|
| 9 |
Stems with rough bark except on new growth |
10
|
| 9: |
Stems with rough bark only at base of plant or rarely also on lowest branches |
11
|
| 10 |
Leaves, sepals and ovaries papillate; leaves usually less than 3 mm long |
papillata
|
| 10: |
Leaves, sepals and ovaries not papillate; leaves more than 4 mm long |
floribunda
|
| 11 |
Sepals less than 2.5 mm long |
12
|
| 11: |
Sepals more than 3 mm long |
14
|
| 12 |
Leaves more than 6 mm long |
subcymosa
|
| 12: |
Leaves less than 3 mm long |
13
|
| 13 |
Leaves more than 1 mm long; fruit persistent, deeply constricted between seeds |
divaricata
|
| 13: |
Leaves less than 1 mm long or absent; fruit deciduous, not constricted |
aphylla
|
| 14 |
Leaves rare and scattered distally on flowering stems |
15
|
| 14: |
Leaves common and evenly distributed on flowering stems |
17
|
| 15 |
Petals dark blue |
brevifolia
|
| 15: |
Petals pale blue or sometimes cream |
16
|
| 16 |
Bracts and bracteoles more than 7 mm long; ovules and articles more than 15 pairs |
striata
|
| 16: |
Bracts and bracteoles less than 7 mm long; ovules and articles less than 8 pairs |
juncea
|
| 17 |
Leaves less than 9 mm long; petals usually pale blue |
heteromera
|
| 17: |
Leaves more than 10 mm long; petals usually pale yellow |
lutescens
|
| 18 |
Stems with rough bark only at base of plant |
19
|
| 18: |
Stems with rough bark except on new growth |
21
|
| 19 |
Stems, leaves, sepals and outside of petals hairy |
hirsuta
|
| 19: |
Stems, leaves, sepals and outside of petals glabrous |
20
|
| 20 |
Petal wings usually less than 4 mm wide; leaves less than 25 mm long |
longiloba
|
| 20: |
Petal wings more than 4 mm wide; leaves usually more than 25 mm long |
macrantha
|
| 21 |
Leaves rigid with a pellucid, acute point; petal wings cohering |
tubiflora
|
| 21: |
Leaves soft and fleshy; petal wings (if present) free along outside margin |
22
|
| 22 |
Petals pale bluish green or greenish yellow |
23
|
| 22: |
Petals red, orange or yellow |
24
|
| 23 |
Leaves less than 6 mm long; sepals less than 5 mm long |
acutiloba
|
| 23: |
Leaves more than 6 mm long; sepals more than 7 mm long |
chlorantha
|
| 24 |
Leaves more than 11 mm long |
superba
|
| 24: |
Leaves less than 11 mm long |
25
|
| 25 |
Adaxial petals connivent along adjacent margins above tube, and enclosing indusium |
formosa
|
| 25: |
Adaxial petals not connivent above tube |
laricina
|
| 26 |
Published since the Flora of Australia treatment |
galactites
|
| 26 |
Published since the Flora of Australia treatment |
hortii
|
| 26 |
Published since the Flora of Australia treatment |
magnifica
|