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Trithuria occidentalis
Species of aquatic plant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Trithuria occidentalis is a species of plant in the family Hydatellaceae endemic to Western Australia.[2]
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Description
Vegetative characteristics
It is an annual,[3][1] 2-3 cm tall, aquatic herb with 2-3 cm long, and 1 mm wide, red, linear leaves.[4] The midveins of the leaves are prominent.[3]
Generative characteristics
It is a dioecious species with unisexual reproductive units. It exhibits sexual dimorphism in respect to the number of bracts present in the reproductive units ("flowers").[5] The male reproductive units consist of 3 mm long, erect stalks with 2 lanceolate, 7-8 mm long bracts, as well as 8-10 stamens. The stamens consist of linear, 3 mm long, faintly yellow anthers, and 1 cm long filaments.[3] The female plants produce smaller reproductive units[4] with 8–9(–12)[5] 1.5-2.2mm long bracts enclosing 8-10 carpels.[4] The dehiscent fruit[5] bears seeds, which are sculptured.[4][5]
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Distribution
It is endemic to Western Australia,[2] where it is restricted to a small area north-east from Perth.[5]
Taxonomy
Trithuria occidentalis Benth. was first described by George Bentham in 1878. Later synonyms include Juncella occidentalis (Benth.) Hieron. and Hydatella dioica D.A.Cooke.[2] The type specimen was collected by James Drummond[5][4][6] in Swan River, Western Australia.[5] It is placed in Trithuria sect. Trithuria.[7][8] The description of Hydatella dioica D.A.Cooke was based on a male individual of Trithuria occidentalis Benth.[5][9]
Etymology
Conservation
It is a threatened species.[12] Under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act of 1950, it is declared as Rare Flora. According to the IUCN criteria, it is classified as Critically Endangered (CR).[4] It is classified as endangered both under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.[13][1] In 1982, about 1000 plants were recorded. By 2007, the number of recorded individuals had dropped below 200 plants.[4]
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Ecology
It occurs in seasonal swamps,[3] and shallow, winter-wet claypans.[4]
References
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