Euphrasia arguta
| Euphrasia arguta | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Genus: | Euphrasia
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| Species: | Euphrasia arguta
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| Binomial name | |
| Euphrasia arguta | |
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Euphrasia scabra var. arguta | |
Euphrasa arguta is a presumed extinct plant from the genus of Euphrasia (eyebrights) within the family Orobanchaceae. Some scientists considered it as variety of the threatened Yellow Eyebright (Euphrasia scabra).
Previously the whole genus Euphrasia was considered as member of the family Scrophulariaceae. It was first described by Robert Brown in his reference work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen in 1810.
Description
The erect stem of this annual herb reaches a height from 20 to 35 cm and is covered with dense hairs. The deeply lobed leaves are opposite. The upper stem leaves with a length of about six to fourteen millimetres and and a width variing from 3.5 to 13 millimetres are oval to ellyptic. The racemes consists of 50 to 90 flowers. The length of the usually scabrous calyx reaches from 5.5 to 7 millimetres. The corolla measures from ten to foureen millimetres coloured from white to lilac with yellow markings. The tubus is 6.7 to 8.5 millimetres long and the anthers 0.9 to 1.7 millimetres. The capsule has a length of 4 to 7.5 millimetres and is bristly at the upper half. Like the other eyebright species Euphrasia arguta is a partial parasite and is connected through a haustorium to the rootlets of other plants.
The flowering time is from October to January.
Occurrence
It previous habitat consists of grassy areas near rivers in elevations until 700 m asl with an annual rainfall of 600 mm. It was native in the ecoregions North Coast (NC), Northern Tablelands (NT), Central Tablelands (CT), North West Slopes (NWS) and Central West Slopes (CWS) in the Australian state of New South Wales, in particular in the areas from Bathurst to Walcha.
Further reading
- Harden, Gwen J. (ed.) 1992. Flora of New South Wales vol 3. UNSW Press. ISBN 0868401722
External links
- New South Wales Flora Online - Euphrasia arguta
- Herbarium sheet from the Australian National Herbarium
- Ecology of Sydney plant species (PDF)
- Entry in the 1997 IUCN Redlist of Threatened Plants
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