Eutaxia microphylla
{{Short description|Species of plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|name = Common eutaxia
|image = Eutaxila microphylla image.jpg
|genus = Eutaxia
|species = microphylla
|authority = (R.Br.) J.M.Black
|synonyms =
- Sclerothamnus microphyllus R.Br.
- Eutaxia leptophylla Turcz.
- Eutaxia microphylla J.M.Black
}}
Eutaxia microphylla, also known as common eutaxia, is a shrub species in the family Fabaceae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Description
Plants grow to between 30 and 40 centimetres high. The small, grey green, narrow to ovate leaves are 2.3 to 4 mm long and 0.6 to 0.9 mm wide. The single pea flowers have dark red keels, yellow-orange wings, and a yellow-orange standard with red markings on the rear. These are produced between July and October in the species' native range.{{cite journal |author1=Wilkins, C.F. |author2=J.A. Chappill |author3=G.R. Henderson |year= 2010|title=An account of Eutaxia (Leguminosae: Mirbelieae) with a focus on the Western Australian species |journal=Nuytsia |issue=20 |pages=40–42 |issn= 0085-4417|url=http://florabase.dec.wa.gov.au/science/nuytsia/574.pdf}}
Taxonomic history
The species was formally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1811 in Hortus Kewensis. Brown gave it the name Sclerothamnus microphyllus. The specific epithet (microphylla) is derived from the ancient Greek words mikros (μικρός), meaning "small" and phyllon (φύλλον), meaning "leaf",Backer, C.A. (1936). Verklarend woordenboek der wetenschappelijke namen van de in Nederland en Nederlandsch-Indië in het wild groeiende en in tuinen en parken gekweekte varens en hoogere planten (Edition Nicoline van der Sijs). alluding to the plant's small leaves. The species was transferred to the genus Eutaxia in 1894.{{cite web |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?TAXON_NAME=Eutaxia+microphylla|title=Eutaxia microphylla |access-date=10 April 2012|work= Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database|publisher = Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra}} Another species described by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1858, Eutaxia diffusa, was reclassified as a subspecies of Eutaxia microphylla in 1957, however Mueller's original name was reinstated in 2010.
Distribution
Eutaxia microphylla is recorded across southern South Australia and north-eastern Tasmania. In Victoria it predominantly occurs in the west of the state and in New South Wales it is recorded in mallee and Mugga Ironbark communities to the west of the Great Dividing Range.{{cite web |url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Eutaxia~microphylla |title=Eutaxia microphylla (R.Br.) C.H.Wright & Dewar |access-date=10 April 2012 |author=Porteners, M.F.|work= PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia}} Associated genera include Acacia, Eucalyptus and Eremopila.
Ecology
Caterpillars of the Fringed Blue butterfly feed on this species.{{cite book |title=Wild Plants of Victoria (database)|year=2009 |publisher=Viridans Biological Databases & Department of Sustainability and Environment}}