Epacris acuminata

Epacris acuminata, commonly known as claspleaf heath,^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small, spreading shrub with egg-shaped, stem-clasping leaves and tube-shaped flowers with white petals.

Epacris acuminata
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Epacris
Species:	E. acuminata
Binomial name
Epacris acuminata Benth.[1]

Description

Epacris acuminata is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in), and has many branches from near the base. The leaves are egg-shaped, concave and stem-clasping, 4–9 mm (0.16–0.35 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide on a petiole less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The tip of the leaves is sharply-pointed and there are five to seven veins showing on the lower surface. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils in dense clusters along the branches. The petals are white and joined at the base, forming a tube 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long with lobes about the same length. The style is 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and protrudes from the petal tube with the stamens. Flowering occurs from July to October and the fruit is a capsule about 2 mm (0.079 in) long with the remains of the sepals and bracts attached.^[3][2][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Epacris acuminata was first formally described in 1868 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis.^[5][6] The specific epithet (acuminata) means "tapering to a narrow point".^[7]

Distribution and habitat

Claspleaf heath grows in low shrubland on mountain peaks, in heathy woodland, forest and along watercourse. It occurs in the south-east, the midlands and the eastern edge of the Central Plateau in Tasmania.^[2][4]