Synaphea diabolica
Synaphea diabolica is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a clumped, sprawling subshrub with many woody stems, fan-shaped leaves and spikes of more or less crowded yellow flowers.
Description
Synaphea diabolica is a clumped, sprawling subshrub that typically grows to up to height and wide and has many woody, pink to reddish-brown stems with patches of silky hairs. The leaves are fan-shaped, long and long, divided more than half-way into three lobes, each with up to three shortly triangular, sharply pointed lobes long and wide, the petiole long. The flowers are yellow and borne in moderately crowded spikes long on a peduncle long. The perianth has a narrow opening, the upper tepal long and wide and strongly curved forward over the anthers, the lateral tepals long. The stigma is oblong to egg-shaped, long and wide. Flowering occurs between late August and early November and the fruit is oval, long and wide and dark brown at maturity.
Taxonomy
Synaphea diabolica was first formally described in 2007 by Ryonen Butcher in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected at The Lakes in 1999. The specific epithet means 'diabolus', 'in reference to the complex taxonomic associations between this taxonomic and similar species".
Distribution and habitat
This species of Synaphea is found on undulating areas in an area west and south-west of York in the Jarrah Forest bioregion of south-western Western Australia.
Conservation status
Synaphea diabolica is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.