Thomasia macrocarpa
{{Short description|Species of shrub}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Thomasia macrocarpa.JPG
|image2 = Thomasia macrocarpa - Flickr - Kevin Thiele (1).jpg
|genus = Thomasia
|species = macrocarpa
|authority = Endl.{{cite web |title=Thomasia macrocarpa |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/65617 |website=Australian Plant Census |accessdate=17 September 2019}}
| synonyms =
|}}
Thomasia macrocarpa, commonly known as large-fruited thomasia,{{cite web |title=Thomasia macrocarpa |url=https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/5087 |website=FloraBase W.A |publisher=Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions W.A. |accessdate=17 September 2019}} is a shrub that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia.
Description
Thomasia macrocarpa is a small, spreading shrub growing to about {{cvt|1.5|m}} high and {{cvt|1|m}} wide. The stems are hairy, the grey-green leaves {{cvt|30-120|mm}} long and {{cvt|15-70|mm}} wide with finely toothed margins and star-shaped hairs. The leaves are heart to egg-shaped, velvety when young and become smooth as they age. The conspicuous pink to purple flowers are produced between August and November in the species' native range. Occasionally white flowers are seen. The flowers are about {{cvt|10|mm}} in diameter with a perianth consisting of two bracts and the pedicel {{cvt|7-15|mm}} long. The flower petals are small lobes and the surface is covered in star-shaped hairs. The flowers are followed by capsules containing black seeds which are shed from the plant when ripe.{{cite book |last1=Wrigley |first1=John W. |last2=Fagg |first2=Murray |title=Australian Native Plants |date=2001 |publisher=Louise Eggerton-Reed New Holland |isbn=1-876334-30-4}}
Taxonomy and naming
Thomasia macrocarpa was first formally described by Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher in 1839 in Novarum Stirpium Decades, based on a horticultural specimen.{{cite web|title=Thomasia macrocarpa|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/472773|publisher=APNI|access-date=29 January 2023}}{{cite book |last1=Endlicher |first1=Stephan F.L. |editor-last1=Endlicher |editor-first1=Stephan F.L. |editor-last2=Fenzl |editor-first2=Edouard |title=Novarum Stirpium Decades |volume=4 |date=1839 |page=32 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/221285#page/40/mode/1up |access-date=29 January 2023}} The specific epithet (macrocarpa) is derived from the ancient Greek words makros (μακρός) meaning "long" and karpos (καρπός) meaning "fruit".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).
Distribution and habitat
Large-fruited thomasia usually grows in damp places near creeks or in well-drained soil in shady places and is found on and near the Darling Scarp from Glen Forrest to Canning Dam, with an outlier further south near Cowaramup, in the Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren bioregions of south-western Western Australia.{{cite book |last1=Blake |first1=Trevor L. |title=Lantern bushes of Australia; Thomasias & allied genera : a field and horticultural guide |date=2021 |publisher=Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group |location=Victoria |isbn=9780646839301 |pages=34–35}}
Conservation status
This thomasia is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q7795560}}
Category:Rosids of Western Australia
Category:Plants described in 1839