Daviesia rhombifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a bushy, spreading shrub with scattered, rhombus-shaped, sharply-pointed phyllodes, and orange and dark red flowers.

Daviesia rhombifolia
In Gooseberry Hill National Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Daviesia
Species:
D. rhombifolia
Binomial name
Daviesia rhombifolia
Habit

Description

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Daviesia rhombifolia is a bushy, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 30–80 cm (12–31 in) and has many stems. Its phyllodes are scattered, rhombus-shaped, 8–30 mm (0.31–1.18 in) long, 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) wide and sharply pointed. The flowers are arranged in one or two groups of three flowers in leaf axils on a peduncle up to 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long. The sepals are 3.0–4.5 mm (0.12–0.18 in) long and joined at the base, the upper two joined for most of their length, the lower three with lobes about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The standard petal is broadly elliptic with a notched tip, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, 5.5–6.5 mm (0.22–0.26 in) wide, and orange with a red base. The wings are 4.0–5.5 mm (0.16–0.22 in) long and orange-red, the keel 4.0–5.5 mm (0.16–0.22 in) long and red. Flowering occurs from July to September and the fruit is a triangular pod 12–15 mm (0.47–0.59 in) long.[2][3]

Taxonomy

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Daviesia rhombifolia was first formally described in 1844 by Carl Meissner in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae.[4][5] The specific epithet (rhombifolia) means "rhombus-leaved".[6]

Distribution and habitat

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This daviesia grows in forest or kwongan between Perth, Merredin, Lake King and Munglinup in the Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions of south-western Western Australia.[2][3]

Conservation status

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Daviesia rhombifolia is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Daviesia rhombifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b Crisp, Michael D.; Cayzer, Lindy; Chandler, Gregory T.; Cook, Lyn G. (2017). "A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae)". Phytotaxa. 300 (1): 76–78. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.300.1.1.
  3. ^ a b c "Daviesia rhombifolia". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. ^ "Daviesia rhombifolia". APNI. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  5. ^ Meissner, Carl (1844). Lehmann, Johann G.C. (ed.). Plantae Preissianae. Vol. 1. Hamburg. p. 56. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  6. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 295. ISBN 9780958034180.