Philotheca scabra

Philotheca scabra is a shrub that grows to a height of 0.6 m (2 ft 0 in) with more or less bristly stems. The leaves are sessile, 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long and either more or less cylindrical and folded lengthwise or narrow oblong-elliptic and concave on the lower side. The flowers are borne singly on the ends of branchlets on a peduncle 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) long and a pedicel 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long with two pairs of tiny bracteoles at the base. There are five fleshy, semicircular sepals about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, five elliptical white to pink petals 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and ten stamens. Flowering occurs in spring and the fruit is about 7 mm (0.28 in) long with a beak about 3 mm (0.12 in) long.[2][3]

This philotheca was first formally described in 1844 by Joseph Paxton who gave it the name Eriostemon scaber and published the description in Paxton's Magazine of Botany from a specimen "in the nursery of Messrs. Henderson, of Pine Apple Place, who received it from the gardens of Baron Hugel, at Vienna, about twelve months back".[4][5] In 1970, Paul G. Wilson described two subspecies of Eriostemon scaber in the journal Nuytsia:[6]

• Eriostemon scaber subsp. latifolia (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson that has glandular-warty stems and leaves about 12 mm (0.47 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) wide;
• Eriostemon scaber (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson subsp. scaber that has smooth stems and more or less cylindrical leaves.[7]

In 1998, Wilson changed the species name to Philotheca scabra and the subspecies to P. scabra subsp. latifolia and P. scabra subsp. scabra respectively, in a later edition of the same journal:[7] The names of the subspecies are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• Philotheca scabra subsp. latifolia (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson;[8]
• Philotheca scabra (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson subsp. scabra.[9]

Philotheca scabra grows in heath and forest on the coast and nearby ranges of New South Wales between Sydney and the Nerriga and Nowra districts.[2][3] Subspecies scaber occurs in the northern part of the species' distribution and subsp. latifolius near Nerriga and Nowra.[7]