Species profile—Plectranthus graniticola
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Lamiaceae → Plectranthus graniticola
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Scientific name
- Plectranthus graniticola P.I.Forst.
- WildNet taxon ID
- 8992
- Superseded by
- Coleus eungellaensis (05/09/2020)
- Conservation significant
- No
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Exotic
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Plectranthus graniticola is an erect or straggling sub-shrub that grows to 40cm in height. The stems and lateral branches are erect to straggling and the lower parts are woody and to 8 mm thick. The seedling stems are lacking tuberous bases. The upper parts of the branches have dense, retrorse, non-glandular silver trichomes up to 0.8 mm long. The leaves are green, the same colour on both surfaces, with petioles 2 to 45 mm long and 1 to 2 mm in diameter. The leaf lamina is lanceolate-ovate, 13 to 70 mm long, and 6 to 50 mm wide, somewhat fleshy, serrate with 15 to 18 teeth on each margin, and dense retrorse non-glandular silver trichomes to 0.8 mm long.
The inflorescence is cymose, comprising 1 to 3 branches. Each branch is pedunculate and is 5 to 17 cm long, with dense, retrorse non-glandular silver trichomes to 1mm long in the axis, and 14 to 16 purple flowers arranged 5 to 13 mm apart. The flower calyx is 3.5 mm long and the corolla 12 to 13 mm long. The fruiting calyx is 5.5 to 6.0 mm long, all lobes with dense, antrorse, non-glandular trichomes to 0.8 mm long. Each fruit contains four brown, semi-spherical seeds, approximately 1.2 mm long, by 1 mm wide and 0.9 mm thick (Forster, 1992; Wang, 1996).
Plectranthus graniticola is most similar to P. argentatus, P. torrenticola, and P. omissus. Key differences between the species are described in Forster (1992). - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Plectranthus graniticola is restricted to Queensland where it is known from three localities within Eungella National Park, west of Mackay. It has also been collected at Homevale National Park near Sydney Heads just south of Eungella National Park (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Distributional limits
- -21.0234367, 148.5188664
-21.4085216, 148.9218166 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Plectranthus graniticola mainly grows on granite outcrops above 700 m altitude. It is generally found bordering notophyll vineforests and usually in full sun. Associated with Corymbia intermedia and Eucalyptus acmenoides in open forest; Drynaria sp. (fern), Cassinia sp. In shrubland, and Elaeocarpus ruminatus (brown quandong), Alphitonia petriei (red ash), Glochidion sp., Syzygium sp., Antidesma sp. In closed forest. (Wang, 1996).
- Reproduction
- Very little is known of the biology and ecology of Plectranthus graniticola. Flowering has been recorded in April, May, August and October (Queensland Herbarium 2012).
- Threatening processes
- Threatening processes include: competition (e.g. Molasses grass); loss and removal of individuals (e.g. off-target impacts of weed control); and inappropriate fire regimes (minor threat where it grows on the edge of rainforest) (DERM, 2010b).
There were no major threats identified for this species in the Fitzroy NRM region. However, as this is a priority species for Queensland, and is threatened in other regions, a watching brief is required so the stronghold population is maintained in the region (DERM, 2010a). - Status notes
- Plectranthus graniticola is listed as Vulnerable under Schedule 2 Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
- Management recommendations
- Encourage monitoring of the impacts of weeds on Plectranthus graniticola, especially at Homevale National Park. Other management recommendations for the species in Eungella National Park are outlined in DERM (2010b).
- Notes
- Occurs in the following Queensland pastoral districts: South Kennedy.
- References
- Forster, P.I. (1992). Five new species of Plectranthus, L. Herit (Lamiaceae) from Queensland. Austrobaileya 3 (4):732-3.
Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) (2010a). Fitzroy Natural Resource Management Region Back on Track Actions for Biodiversity. Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane.
Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) (2010b). Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Region Back on Track Actions for Biodiversity. Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane.
Queensland Herbarium (2012). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 20/03/2012.
Wang, J. (1996). Plectranthus graniticola Species Management Profile. Department of Natural Resources, Brisbane. - Profile author
- Ronald Booth (28/05/2012)
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=8992.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
