Marianthus bicolor
| Painted marianthus | |
|---|---|
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| In the Australian National Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Pittosporaceae |
| Genus: | Marianthus |
| Species: | M. bicolor
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| Binomial name | |
| Marianthus bicolor | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Marianthus bicolor, commonly known as painted marianthus,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Pittosporaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a low, erect, spreading shrub or climber with narrowly elliptic leaves and white to cream-coloured flowers with maroon or purple striations flowers arranged in branched clusters.
Description[edit]
Marianthus bicolor is a low, erect, spreading shrub or climber with reddish purple new stems. Its adult leaves are narrowly elliptic, 26–45 mm (1.0–1.8 in) long and 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) wide on a short petiole. The leaves are thick and both surfaces of the mature leaves are covered with a waxy bloom. The flowers are borne in branched clusters on a peduncle 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long, the sepals egg-shaped, thickened and wavy, up to 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long and yellow on the outer surface. The five petals are narrowly spatula-shaped, 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long and up to 3.5 mm (0.14 in) wide, white to cream-coloured with maroon or purple striations. Flowering mainly occurs from December to March.[2][3]
Taxonomy[edit]
This species was first formally described in 1839 by Alois (Aloys) Putterlick in Novarum Stirpium Decades.[4][5] In 1860, Ferdinand von Mueller transferred the species to Marianthus as M. bicolor in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[6] The specific epithet (bicolor) means "two colours".[7]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Marianthus bicolor grows in mallee in valleys, on hills, flats, sandplains and roadsides, and is widespread in the south-west of Western Australia, mainly from the Darling Range to Ravensthorpe.[2][3]
Conservation status[edit]
Marianthus bicolor is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Marianthus bicolor". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Marianthus bicolor". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ a b "Marianthus bicolor". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Oncosporum bicolor". APNI. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Putterlick, Alois (1839). Endlicher, Stephan; Fenzl, Edouard (eds.). Novarum Stirpium Decades. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ "Marianthus bicolor". APNI. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 146. ISBN 9780958034180.