Euphrasia arguta

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Euphrasia arguta
Systematics
Asterids
Euasterids I
Order : Mint family (Lamiales)
Family : Summer root family (Orobanchaceae)
Genre : Eyebright ( Euphrasia )
Type : Euphrasia arguta
Scientific name
Euphrasia arguta
R.Br.

Euphrasia arguta ( Syn .: Euphrasia scabra var. Arguta ) is a plant species of the genus eyebright ( Euphrasia )native to Australiawithin the family of summer root plants (Orobanchaceae). It was considered extinct since 1904 until it was rediscovered in July 2008. The genus was previously assigned to the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). The British botanist Robert Brown described the species for the first time in 1810 in his work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen .

description

The upright stem of this annual herbaceous plant reaches a height of 20 to 35 cm and is covered with dense hairs. The deeply incised lobed leaves are arranged opposite one another . The upper stem leaves are oval to elliptical, about 6 to 14 millimeters long and have a width of 3.5 to 13 millimeters.

The racemose inflorescence consists of 50 to 90 individual flowers. The sepals are 5.5 to 7 millimeters long. The color of the flower petals varies from white to lilac with a yellow stain. The length of the petals is 10 to 14 millimeters, they are fused into a 6.7 to 8.5 millimeter long corolla tube. The anthers are 0.9 to 1.7 millimeters long. The flowering period extends from October to January. The capsule fruit reaches a length of 4 to 7.5 millimeters and is hairy on the upper half.

Like the other eyebright species, Euphrasia arguta is a semi-parasite and is connected to the roots of other plants by a haustorium .

distribution

Euphrasia arguta is native to Australia, but was considered missing there from 1904 to 2008. Their habitat is grass-covered areas near rivers at altitudes of up to 700  m with an annual rainfall of 600 mm. The original distribution area extended over the bioregions 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 , especially in the administrative areas Bathurst , Tamworth and Walcha .

status

In 1982, the Australian botanist William R. Barker wrote in his study Taxonomic studies in Euphrasia L. (Scrophulariaceae). A revised infrageeric classification, and a revision of the genus in Australia in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens , that Euphrasia arguta has not been detected for at least 75 years. In 1997 the IUCN added it to the Red List of the world's extinct plant species (criterion: no evidence for over 50 years). In the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC-Act) the species has been officially listed as extinct by the Australian government since July 2000. One specimen is in the Australian National Herbarium . After the plant was collected in the Tamworth region for the last time in June 1904, forest ranger Graham Marshall succeeded in rediscovery in July 2008 in the Nundle State Forest , which is located in the Tamworth Regional Council in the northwest of the Australian state of New South Wales. The Minister for Primary Industry Ian Macdonald described the rediscovery as a sensational find and spoke out in favor of drawing up plans to preserve the plant.

literature

  • Gwen J. Harden (ed.): Flora of New South Wales Vol 3 , UNSW Press 1992, ISBN 0-8684-0172-2

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Australian Plant Names Index

Web links