Species profile—Discaria pubescens
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Rhamnaceae → Discaria pubescens
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Rhamnaceae
- Scientific name
- Discaria pubescens (Brongn.) Druce
- WildNet taxon ID
- 13643
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Near threatened
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Discaria pubescens is a rigid, often almost leafless shrub, which may grow up to about 2 m high, but is usually considerably lower. The plant is covered with sturdy spines, each 1 to 4 cm long, and are formed in an anchor-like arrangement. The leaves are opposite, oblong to obovate, with the apex retuse, and the base cuneate, up to 1.5 cm long, with the petioles up to 1 mm long. The flowers are solitary or a few together, the calyx is white or cream, and about 2 mm long. They are white and sweet smelling on 1 cm stalks and arise from the base of the spines. The fruits are small 5 to 6 mm diameter, 3-lobed capsules that develop on stalks up to 2 cm long. (Stanley and Ross 1983).
- Distribution
- The species occurs in southeast Queensland from Jimna, Toowoomba, Warwick and Stanthorpe with a disjunct population adjacent to Carnarvon National Park, central Queensland. It also occurs in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Distributional limits
- -24.7977778, 147.7876666
-28.5817441, 152.417739 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- The species grows in woodland and forest on soils derived from granite or traprock, or sometimes on heavy, sometimes rocky, basalt-derived soils in woodland and grassland vegetation (Queensland Herbarium, 2011).
- Behaviour
- The species flowers in September and October and fruits in November and December (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Threatening processes
- Primary threats are clearing of vegetation (resulting in fragmentation of habitat) and inappropriate grazing regimes.
Additional threats to the survival of Discaria pubescens may arise from accidental destruction during weed eradication programs due to the spiny nature of the plant resembling some introduced weeds such as African boxthorn Lycium ferocissimum. - Status notes
- Discaria pubescens is listed as Near Threatened under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act (1992).
- Notes
- Occurs in the following Queensland pastoral districts: Darling Downs, Moreton, Warrego. Also occurs in the following regions: New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania.
- References
- Harden, G.J. (1990). Flora of New South Wales 1: 373.
Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) (2010). South East Queensland Natural Resource Management Region Back on Track Actions for Biodiversity. Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane.
Queensland Herbarium (2011). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 29/02/2012.
Stanley, T.D. and Ross, E.M. (1989). Flora of South-eastern Queensland 3: 258. - Profile author
- Ronald Booth (29/02/2012)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=13643.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
