Flolape

Levenhookia pauciflora

Levenhookia pauciflora Benth.
Levenhookia pauciflora
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

Levenhookia pauciflora is an annual herb in the Stylidiaceae family, native to Western Australia. It grows 2–12 cm tall, with glandular hairs and a dark red stem. Leaves are cauline, ovate to reniform, and sparsely glandular-hairy. Flowers are white with red markings, arranged in short racemes or umbels, and bloom from September to November. The species is named for its few flowers and is known to resemble Stylidium ecorne, which may mimic it for pollination.

Description

Levenhookia pauciflora is an annual herb in the Stylidiaceae family, endemic to Western Australia. It ranges in height from 2 to 12 cm, with a dark red stem that may be paler at the tip. The plant has scattered, green, occasionally red-tinged leaves that are broadly to narrowly ovate or reniform, measuring 1.2–8 mm long. Flowers are white with red markings at the base of the lobes and bloom from September to November. They are arranged in short racemes or umbels, with 1–15 flowers per plant. The hypanthium is globose, and the calyx lobes are equal or nearly so. The corolla has a yellow throat and lobes that are vertically paired. The species is named for its few flowers and is known to resemble Stylidium ecorne, which may mimic it for pollination.

Distribution

Western Australia

Synonyms

Levenhookia stylidiodes

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