Stylidium alsinoides
Encyclopedia
Stylidium alsinoides is a dicotyledon
ous plant
that belongs to the genus
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
). It is an erect annual plant
that grows from 18 to 30 cm tall. Obovate
or elliptical leaves, about 20–100 per plant, are scattered along the elongate, glabrous stems. The leaves are generally 5.5–14 mm long and 3–8 mm wide. The bract
s on the inflorescence
can be as large as leaves and may be hard to distinguish them except for their growth habit: the leaves are alternate
whereas the bracts are opposite.
This species lacks a scape
. Inflorescences are 5–15 cm long and produce white flowers that bloom from April to September in Australia
but occur year-round in Malesia
. S. alsinoidess distribution ranges from northern Queensland
in Australia north to the island of Luzon
in the Philippines
and southern parts of Sulawesi
in New Guinea
. In Australia its typical habitat has been reported as a sandy soil in swamps that are dominated by Melaleuca quinquenervia
, but has also been found on creekbanks with Melaleuca leucadendra
or in some of the wetter rock crevices. S. alsinoides is most closely related to S. fluminense
.
Its conservation status
has been assessed as data deficient
.
Dicotyledon
The dicotyledons, also known as dicots, are a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group...
ous plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
that belongs to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
Stylidiaceae
The family Stylidiaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It consists of five genera with over 240 species, most of which are endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Members of Stylidiaceae are typically grass-like herbs or small shrubs and can be perennials or annuals...
). It is an erect annual plant
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
that grows from 18 to 30 cm tall. Obovate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
or elliptical leaves, about 20–100 per plant, are scattered along the elongate, glabrous stems. The leaves are generally 5.5–14 mm long and 3–8 mm wide. The bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s on the inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
can be as large as leaves and may be hard to distinguish them except for their growth habit: the leaves are alternate
Phyllotaxis
In botany, phyllotaxis or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem .- Pattern structure :...
whereas the bracts are opposite.
This species lacks a scape
Scape (botany)
In botany, scapes are leafless flowering stems that rise from the ground. Scapes can have a single flower or many flowers, depending on the species....
. Inflorescences are 5–15 cm long and produce white flowers that bloom from April to September in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
but occur year-round in Malesia
Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the boundaries of the Indomalaya ecozone and Australasia ecozone, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom.-Floristic province:...
. S. alsinoidess distribution ranges from northern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in Australia north to the island of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and southern parts of Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. In Australia its typical habitat has been reported as a sandy soil in swamps that are dominated by Melaleuca quinquenervia
Melaleuca quinquenervia
Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as Niaouli or Broad-leaved paperbark or the Paper Bark Tea Tree, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the allspice family, Myrtaceae. The plant is native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and coastal Eastern Australia, from Botany Bay in New South Wales...
, but has also been found on creekbanks with Melaleuca leucadendra
Melaleuca leucadendra
Melaleuca leucadendra is a tree belonging to the Melaleuca genus. The common name, Cajuput Tree, is derived from the Malay word kayu putih - meaning "white wood".-Description:...
or in some of the wetter rock crevices. S. alsinoides is most closely related to S. fluminense
Stylidium fluminense
Stylidium fluminense is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the genus Stylidium . It is an erect annual plant that grows from 15 to 30 cm tall. Elliptical leaves, about 10-40 per plant, are scattered along the stems. The leaves are generally 5–19 mm long and 1.5–6 mm wide...
.
Its conservation status
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
has been assessed as data deficient
Data Deficient
Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
.