Stylidium simulans
Encyclopedia
Stylidium simulans is a dicotyledon
ous plant
that belongs to the genus
Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae
) that was described by Sherwin Carlquist
in 1979. It is an erect annual plant
that grows from 7 to 11 cm tall. Orbicular
leaves, about 4-10 per plant, form basal rosettes
. The leaves are generally 3-5.5 mm long and 1.5-3.5 mm wide. This species generally has one or two scapes
and cymose inflorescence
s that are 7-11 cm long. Flowers are pale pink or mauve. S. simulans is endemic to the Arnhem Land
plateau in the Northern Territory
of Australia
, but not much more is known about its distribution as it is only known from around its type location
. Its reported habitat is in shallow sandy soils on a sandstone plateau. It flowers in the southern hemisphere
in June. S. simulans is closely related to S. accedens
. 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...
) that was described by Sherwin Carlquist
Sherwin Carlquist
Sherwin Carlquist is an American botanist and photographer. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1952 and a Ph.D. in botany in 1956, also at Berkeley. Carlquist did a postdoctoral study at Harvard University from 1955 to 1956. After his postdoctoral...
in 1979. 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 7 to 11 cm tall. Orbicular
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
leaves, about 4-10 per plant, form basal rosettes
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
. The leaves are generally 3-5.5 mm long and 1.5-3.5 mm wide. This species generally has one or two scapes
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....
and cymose 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...
s that are 7-11 cm long. Flowers are pale pink or mauve. S. simulans is endemic to the Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
plateau in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of 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 not much more is known about its distribution as it is only known from around its type location
Biological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
. Its reported habitat is in shallow sandy soils on a sandstone plateau. It flowers in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
in June. S. simulans is closely related to S. accedens
Stylidium accedens
Stylidium accedens is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the genus Stylidium . The specific epithet is from the Latin accedens, which means "resembling", referring to the resemblance of this species to another Stylidium species, S. uliginosum, which it was often confused for in the past...
. 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...
.