Pimelea pelinos

Pimelea pelinos is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to a small area in the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, straggling shrub with narrowly egg-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, and erect clusters of cream-coloured, unisexual flowers surrounded by 2 or 4 egg-shaped, leaf-like involucral bracts.

Pimelea pelinos
Conservation status
Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Thymelaeaceae
Genus:	Pimelea
Species:	P. pelinos
Binomial name
Pimelea pelinos Rye[1]

Description

Pimelea pelinos is an erect, straggling shrub that typically grows to a height of 30–60 cm (12–24 in), and has a single glabrous stem at the base. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, narrowly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 2.5–11.5 mm (0.098–0.453 in) long and 0.8–2.5 mm (0.031–0.098 in) wide on a petiole 0.2–0.5 mm (0.0079–0.0197 in) long. The flowers are arranged on short side branches on a peduncle 0.5–3.5 mm (0.020–0.138 in) long surrounded by 2 or 4 egg-shaped, sessile, leaf-like involucral bracts 3.3–6 mm (0.13–0.24 in) long. The flowers are cream-coloured and densely hairy on the outside. Male flowers have a floral tube 2–3.2 mm (0.079–0.126 in) long, the sepals 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long, female flowers a floral tube about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, the sepals about 0.8 mm (0.031 in) long. Flowering occurs in June and July.^[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

Pimelea pelinos was first formally described in 1989 by Barbara Lynette Rye and the description was published in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected east of Scaddan in 1988.^[3][5] The specific epithet (pelinos) means "of clay or mud", referring to the habitat of this species.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

This pimelea grows around salt lakes in sandy clay, and is only known from near the type location in the Mallee bioregion of south-western Western Australia.^[2][3][4]

Conservation status

Pimelea pelinos is listed as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,^[2] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.^[6]