Styphelia kingiana
Styphelia kingiana is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with sharply pointed, egg-shaped leaves, and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged in clusters near the ends of branchlets.
Description
Styphelia kingiana is an erect, compact shrub that typically grows to a height of and has densely hairy young branches. Its leaves are sharply-pointed, egg-shaped, long and wide. The flowers are borne in clusters near the ends of branchlets, extending past the leaves. There are egg-shaped, fleshy bracts long and 3 or 4 almost round bracteoles long at the base of the flowers. The sepals are egg-shaped, long and pale yellowish-green. The petals are joined at the base to form a yellowish-green tube long with white, spreading lobes long. Flowering occurs in August and September and the fruit is dry, long and wide.
Taxonomy
Styphelia kingiana was first described in 1893 by Ferdinand von Mueller in The Victorian Naturalist from specimens collected near Lake Deborah. The specific epithet honours Henry John King.
Distribution and habitat
This styphelia occurs in sandy soils in open heath or low open woodland in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Mallee and Swan Coastal Plain bioregions of south-western Western Australia.
Styphelia kingiana is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.