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Exocarpos homalocladus

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Exocarpos homalocladus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae
Genus: Exocarpos
Species:
E. homalocladus
Binomial name
Exocarpos homalocladus
Synonyms
  • Exocarpos homaloclada C.Moore & F.Muell. (1872)
  • Xylophyllos homalocladus (C.Moore & F.Muell.) Kuntze (1891)

Exocarpos homalocladus, commonly known as the grass tree, is a flowering plant in the sandalwood family.[1] The specific epithet comes from the Greek homalos (“flat”) and clados (“cladode”, a leaf-like stem, specialised for photosynthesis), with reference to the structure of the plant.[2]

Description

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It is a shrub or small tree growing to 4 m in height. The flat cladodes are 50–100 mm long, 1–2 mm wide. True leaves only occur on juvenile shoots; they are narrowly lanceolate, 50–80 mm long, 5–15 mm wide. The tiny yellow-green flowers occur in clusters from March to July. The fruits are red and fleshy, 8 mm long and seated on swollen red stalks that turn translucent pink when ripe.[1][3]

Distribution and habitat

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The species is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, where it is fairly common and found from sea level to the summits of the mountains.[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Wiecek, BM (2003). "Exocarpos homalocladus". PlantNET: New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Garden: Sydney. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. ^ " Exocarpus homalocladus ". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
  3. ^ a b Hutton, Ian (1998). The Australian Geographic Book of Lord Howe Island. Sydney: Australian Geographic. p. 144. ISBN 1-876276-27-4.