Teucrium junceum

Teucrium junceum is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a scrambling, openly-branched shrub, with small leaves, white flowers and orange to red fruit.

Teucrium junceum
On Carnarvon Station Reserve
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Teucrium
Species:
T. junceum
Binomial name
Teucrium junceum
(A.Cunn. ex Walp.) Kattari & Heubl[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Spartothamnella juncea (A.Cunn. ex Walp.) Briq.
  • Spartothamnus junceus A.Cunn. ex Loudon nom. inval., nom. nud.
  • Spartothamnus junceus A.Cunn. ex Walp. nom. inval., nom. nud.
  • Spartothamnus junceus A.Cunn. ex Walp.
  • Spartothamnus junceus A.Cunn. ex Walp. var. junceus

Description

Teucrium junceum is an openly-branched, scrambling shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) and has glabrous stems that are square in cross-section. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, narrow-elliptic or lance-shaped, 3–18 mm (0.12–0.71 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide but often scale-like or shed from older stems. The flowers are borne on a pedicel about 3 mm (0.12 in) long with scale-like bracts 0.5–1.5 mm (0.020–0.059 in) long. The five sepals are 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long, the petals white and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs in summer and the fruit is an orange to red drupe 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) in diameter.[2][3]

Taxonomy

This germander was first formally described in 1847 by Allan Cunningham in Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers' Repertorium Botanices Systematicae, and was given the name Spartothamnus junceus.[4][5] In 2016, Stefan Kattari and Günther Heubl changed the name to Teucrium junceum in the journal Taxon.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Teucrium junceum grows in dry forest, including dry rainforest. It is widespread in eastern Queensland, south from near Mount Surprise to near Camden in New South Wales.[2][7]

Conservation status

Teucrium junceum is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[8]

References

  1. "Teucrium junceum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  2. Conn, Barry J. "Teucrium junceum". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  3. "Teucrium junceum". Lucid keys. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  4. "Spartothamnus junceus". APNI. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  5. Cunningham, Allan; Walpers, Wilhelm G. (1847). Repertorium botanices Systematicae. p. 694. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  6. "Teucrium junceum". APNI. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  7. Bean, Anthony R. (2018). "A conspectus of Teucrium (Lamiaceae) in Queensland". Muelleria. 37: 12. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  8. "Species profile - Teucrium junceum". Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
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