Levenhookia pauciflora Benth. in S.F.L. Endlicher, E. Fenzl, G. Bentham & H.W. Schott, Enum. Pl.: 74. 1837

Wege, Juliet A., 2020, Styleworts under the microscope: a taxonomic account of Levenhookia (Stylidiaceae), PhytoKeys 151, pp. 1-47 : 1

7. Levenhookia pauciflora Benth. in S.F.L. Endlicher, E. Fenzl, G. Bentham & H.W. Schott, Enum. Pl.: 74. 1837 Figs 2G, H , 5B

Leeuwenhoekia pauciflora , orth. var.: A.P. De Candolle, Prodr. 7: 338. 1839.

Levenhookia stylidiodes F.Muell., Fragm. 6(43): 77. 1867, as Leeuwenhoekia . Type. Australia. Western Australia: "In Australia occidentali a sinu regis Georgii saltem usque ad montes Stirling’s Range. F.M." King George’s Sound, Oct 1867, F. Mueller s.n. (syntypes: K 000060051, K 000060052, MEL 2257553, MEL 2257555, MEL 2257556, MEL 2257557, MEL 2257558, MEL 2257559, MEL 2257560); Albany, Oct 1867, F. Mueller s.n. (syntype: MEL 2257551); King George’s Sound, [no date] F. Mueller s.n. (probable syntype: MEL 2257557).

Leewenhoekia pauciflora , orth. var.: F. von Mueller, Syst. Census Austral. Pl.: 86. 1882.

Levenhookia stylidioides , orth. var.: B.D. Jackson, Index Kew. 2(3): 75. 1894.

Type.

Australia. Western Australia: King George’s Sound, [Jan 1834] K. von Hügel s.n. (holotype: W 0047174).

Description.

Annual herb 2-12 cm high. Glandular hairs 0.1-0.3 mm long. Stem dark red, sometimes paler reddish-brown distally, simple (rarely branched at base), glandular-hairy and papillate. Leaves cauline, scattered, green, sometimes tinged red; lamina broadly to narrowly ovate or occasionally reniform, 1.2-8 mm long including the petiole, 0.8-4 mm wide, obtuse or rounded, sparsely glandular-hairy abaxially near the base and on the margins, sometimes apparently glabrous. Flowers in short racemes or umbels, 1-15 per plant; bracts narrowly oblanceolate to oblanceolate or linear, 1-8 mm long, sparsely glandular-hairy abaxially and on the margins; pedicels 1-5(8) mm long, glandular-hairy. Hypanthium depressed globose or globose, 0.7-2.5 mm long, 0.8-2 mm wide, glandular-hairy. Calyx lobes equal or subequal (with the anterior pair scarcely longer than the rest and rarely connate at base), 1-3 mm long, obtuse to subacute, sparsely glandular-hairy. Corolla creamy white prominent red markings towards the base of the lobes at the tips of the upper lobes, abaxial surface with a fine red midvein, throat yellow; lobes paired vertically, sparsely glandular-hairy abaxially; anterior (lower) lobes narrowly oblanceolate, geniculate, longer and broader than the posterior pair, 3-7 mm long, 1.3-3.5 mm wide, apiculate or obtuse; posterior (upper) lobes lanceolate or elliptic, 2.5-4.5 mm long, 0.9-2.2 mm wide, acuminate, acute or apiculate; tube 2-3.5 mm long, ± equal to or up to ca. 1.2 mm longer than the calyx lobes, sparsely glandular-hairy distally. Labellum ventral, 1.5-3 mm long including a 0.2-0.6 mm claw; hood dark reddish maroon with yellow markings near the cleft, sparsely glandular-hairy abaxially, with a brush-tipped appendage 0.9-1.3 mm long at the cleft apex; basal appendages creamy white, linear to linear-subulate, 0.7-1.2 mm long. Column sheath yellow, lopsided, pendulous appendages absent; posterior side with 4 basally connate lobes 0.3-0.8 mm high, the lateral pair tipped with glandular hairs; anterior side adnate to the column, with 1 or 2 minute lobes visible on the anterior side of the column. Column creamy yellow, 3.2-6.5 mm long, adnate to the anterior side of the corolla (including the tube, lobes and column sheath) with the top 1.5-3 mm free and sharply angled towards the labellum, constricted below a dilated tip, glabrous; stigmatic lobes to ca. 1 mm long, developing once the column has been exposed, straight to incurved. Capsule globose or ovoid, 2-3 mm long excluding calyx lobes. Seeds 0.3-0.5 mm long, 0.2-0.4 mm wide.

Diagnostic features.

Levenhookia pauciflora has a stem with both glandular hairs and minute papillae, creamy white corolla lobes with a fine red midvein on the undersurface, upper corolla lobes with pointed tips, and a brush-tipped appendage at the apex of the labellum cleft. Its column and column sheath morphology are diagnostic but less readily viewed on pressed material.

Phenology.

Mostly flowering from September to early November (rarely in January as per type gathering); fruits have only been collected in October.

Distribution.

Levenhookia pauciflora is widespread in south-western Australia (Fig. 5A ), extending from Badgingarra and Watheroo National Parks in the Geraldton Sandplains bioregion, south to Scott River National Park in the Warren bioregion, and east to Cape Arid National Park in the Esperance bioregion, with numerous records from the central Avon Wheatbelt and Mallee bioregions.

Habitat.

Levenhookia pauciflora is found on plains or hill-slopes in sand or clayey sand, sometimes with surface gravel or in association with granite outcropping. Associated vegetation is varied and includes heath, mallee shrubland, open Eucalyptus or Corymbia woodland, and scrub with emergent Nuytsia or Banksia .

Conservation status.

This is a widespread species that is not currently considered to be at risk ( IUCN 2012: Least Concern).

Etymology.

From the Latin paucus (few) and - florus (-flowered).

Vernacular name.

Deceptive Stylewort ( Erickson 1958). The corolla lobes of this species are reminiscent of some triggerplants including Stylidium petiolare Sond., with which it can co-occur.

Typification.

I annotated W 0047174 as a syntype during a visit to the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien in 2003 but have since failed to find any other duplicates of Hügel’s gathering. This sheet, which has been annotated by Bentham, is therefore regarded here as the holotype.

Illustrations.

R. Erickson, Triggerplants 201, Pl. 57, No. 6 and 212, Pl. 59, Nos. 19-23. 1958 [column and sheath morphology inaccurately depicted]; B.J. Grieve & W.E. Blackall, How to know W. Austral. wildfl. 4: 765, no. 2(1982); J. Wheeler, N. Marchant & M. Lewington, Fl. South West 2: 902 (2002).

Selected specimens examined.

Australia. Western Australia: Watheroo National Park, 12 Sep 1993, K. Bremer & M. Gustafsson 110 (PERTH); 20 km E of Lake Grace on road to Newdegate, 14 Sep 1993, K. Bremer & M. Gustafsson 122 (PERTH); S Stirling sandplain, S of Stirling Range, 16 Oct 1951, R. Erickson s.n. (PERTH); Mount Willying, N of Albany, 11 Oct 1969, A.S. George 9694 (PERTH); Flint State Forest, Metro Rd, 6.1 km S from Brookton Hwy, 12 Oct 2009, F. & J. Hort 3478 (PERTH); Plains S of Blackwood River, 24 Oct 1948, R.D. Royce 2963 (PERTH); 14 km from Ravensthorpe towards Hopetoun, 12 Sep 1983, J. Taylor 1712 & P. Ollerenshaw (CANB); 3.7 km W along Cadda Rd from Brand Hwy, 23 Sep 1996, J.A. Wege 209 & L. Cobb (PERTH); 1.4 km E from NW boundary corner, Tarin Rock Nature Reserve, 21 Sep 1997, J.A. Wege, R. Butcher & C. Wilkins JAW 358 (PERTH); 100 m E of Stockyard Rd on Merivale Rd, E of Esperance, 23 Sep 1997, J.A. Wege 363, R. Butcher & C. Wilkins (PERTH); 1.25 km E on Devil’s Creek Rd from Gairdner River Crossing, NW of Bremer Bay, 29 Sep 1997, J.A. Wege 380, R. Butcher & C. Wilkins (PERTH); ca. 1 km N of park boundary on Chester Pass Rd, Stirling Range National Park, 30 Oct 2003, J.A. Wege 1071 & C. Wilkins (PERTH); 8 miles [12.9 km] W of Israelite Bay, 1 Oct 1968, P.G. Wilson 8148 (AD, CANB, MEL, PERTH).

Figures

Figure 2. Labellum and column movement in Levenhookia. Black arrow = labellum hooded over column; white arrow = labellum ' triggered' to release column; yellow arrow = labellum repositioned following column release; blue arrow = column position immediately following release from labellum A L. stipitata (unvouchered, Augusta area, Western Australia) B L. aestiva (J. A. Wege 2090) C-E L. leptantha (J. A. Wege 2063), with labellum enclosing the column (C), triggered to release the column which moves to the opposite side of the flower (D) and subsequently repositioned (E) with the stigmatic lobes developed F L. aestiva (J. A. Wege 2090), labellum triggered with column momentum stopped by the sheath at the base of the corolla lobes G, H L. pauciflora (at J. A. Wege 1071 & C. Wilkins): note the unusual, distally-angled column and brush-tipped labellum I L. murfetii (J. A. Wege 2060): note the dorsal position of the labellum; J, K L. dubia, with the labellum opening (but not otherwise moving) to release the column (K). Photos by R. W. Davis (A, B) and J. A. Wege (C-K).

Figure 5. Comparative distributions and floral morphologies A, B Levenhookia pauciflora, a Western Australian endemic with a brush-tipped labellum and distinctive corolla shape (J. A. Wege 1071 & C. Wilkins) C, D L. preissii, a poorly-known Western Australian endemic with distinctive corolla makings, rounded basal labellum appendages and a white, lopsided column sheath (unvouchered, from NW of Cooljarloo) E, F L. aestiva, a Western Australian endemic with oblong-subulate basal labellum appendages and a pink column sheath (J. A. Wege 2090). Photos by J. A. Wege (B), M. Matsuki (D) and R. W. Davis (F). Scale bar on maps 1000 km.