| Genus | Stirlingia |
|---|---|
| Species | simplex |
| Authority | Lindl. |
Stirlingia simplex is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to Western Australia.
Description
A woody perennial, S. simplex can grow as a shrub or as suckering herb with short-lived stems arising from a perennial rootstock. Stems may be up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long, and the plant as a whole grows to a height of 10 to 60 cm 0, rarely to 1 metre (3.3 ft). It has soft leaves that bifurcate repeatedly into lobes, with the final lobes measuring from 2 to 20 mm long. Flowers are cream or yellow, and occur in dense heads from 10 to 15 mm in diameter, atop scapes up to 60 centimetres (24 in) tall.[1][2]
Taxonomy
The species was first published by John Lindley in his 1839 A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony, based on unspecified material. Lindley commented that it "resembles a Sanicula".[3]
Since that time, it has had a fairly straightforward taxonomic history. It has only two synonyms:
- Carl Meissner published S. capillifolia in 1855, but this was declared a taxonomic synonym of S. simplex by Alex George in 1995.[4][5]
- In 1884 Ferdinand von Mueller proposed to transfer Stirlingia to Simsia, the original, albeit illegal, name for the genus. His transfer was not accepted, and Simsia simplex is now a nomenclatural synonym of Stirlingia simplex.[5][6]
Distribution and habitat
It occurs throughout much of the Southwest Botanic Province of Western Australia, from Eneabba in the north, south to Waroona and east to Hyden. It grows in a variety of soils, amongst proteaceous-myrtaceous heath and eucalypt woodland, and prefers seasonally wet areas.[1][2]
Ecology
It is not considered threatened.[1]