Leucopogon compactus

Leucopogon compactus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with oblong leaves and dense clusters of white, tube-shaped flowers.

Leucopogon compactus
Conservation status
Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Leucopogon
Species:	L. compactus
Binomial name
Leucopogon compactus Stschegl.[1]
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]
Styphelia compacta (Stschegl.) F.Muell. Styphelia commutata Sleumer

Description

Leucopogon compactus is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1 m (1 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in), its leaves and branches covered with grey, shaggy hairs. The leaves are oblong, mostly less than 12 mm (0.47 in) long with the edges rolled under. The flowers are white and arranged in dense clusters on the ends of branches and in upper leaf axils. The sepals are about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long, with the bracts, covered with long hairs. The petals are about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and the lobes are longer than the petal tube. Flowering occurs from June to August or December.^[2][3]

Taxonomy

Leucopogon compactus was first formally described in 1859 by Sergei Sergeyevich Sheglejev in the Bulletin de la Société impériale des naturalistes de Moscou.^[4][5] The specific epithet (compactus) means "compact" or "united".^[6]

Distribution and habitat

This leucopogon grows on plains and hillslopes in the Esperance Plains bioregion of southern Western Australia.^[2]

Conservation status

Leucopogon compactus is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,^[2] meaning that it is rare or near threatened.^[7]