Cheiranthera borealis (E.M.Benn.) L.Cayzer & Crisp APNI* Synonyms: Cheiranthera cyanea Brongn. var. borealis E.M.Benn. APNI*
Description: Twiggy shrubs up to 0.5 metre high, either erect or leaning on surrounding vegetation, few branches arising from a thickened root stock; new stems glabrous, purple-pink, ridged and tuberculate with wart like projections; older shoots becoming red-brown and tuberculate.
Juvenile leaves with angular stems, leaves up to 10 mm long and 1 mm wide, apicies mucronate. Adullt leaves thick, linear, 20–40 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, fascicled in large groups, stem-clasping, minutely cilate with rigid persisting hair bases, apicies mucronate.
Inflorescences terminal, branched corymbs, just above the leaves; rachis up to 20 mm long, smooth green-purple, subtended by leaf bracts up to 8 mm long. Peduncles 5–8 mm long, pedicels up to 10 mm long. Sepals oblong, very irregular and variable on the same flower, 2–8 mm long, 2 mm wide; margins cilate. Petals obovate with rounded cilate apices, 16–23 mm long, 7–12 mm wide, outer surface deep blue at margins and venation, inner surface deep purple-blue.
Fruit and seeds not seen.
Flowering: Flowers November and December.
Distribution and occurrence: On sandy ironstone gravel over silty clay on granite, particularly in disturbed eucalypt (Eucalyptus crebra) woodland.
NSW subdivisions: NT, NWP
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by Louisa Murray
Taxon concept: Cayzer, L.W., Crisp, M.D. & Donaldson,S. (2007) Cheiranthera (Pittosporaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 20 (4): 345-346.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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