Scaevola brooksiana
| Scaevola brooksiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In the Australian National Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Goodeniaceae |
| Genus: | Scaevola |
| Species: | S. brooksiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Scaevola brooksiana | |
 | |
| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Scaevola brooksiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a glabrous, glaucous subshrub with sessile, toothed, circular to elliptic leaves, blue flowers, and wrinkled fruit.
Description
Scaevola brooksiana is a glabrous, glaucous subshrub that typically grows to a height of up to 80 cm (31 in) and has glossy stems when mature. Its leaves are sessile, round to elliptic and toothed, up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long and 15 mm (0.59 in) wide, the upper leaves stem-clasping. The flowers are arranged in spikes on the ends of branches with leafy bracts and Δ-shaped bracteoles up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The petals are blue, about 10 mm (0.39 in) long, glabrous on the outside and bearded inside. Flowering occurs around December and the fruit is elliptic, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and wrinkled.[2][3]
This species of Scaevola is distinguished from all other species in the genus by its shrubby habit and glaucous, stem-clasping leaves.[2]
Taxonomy
Scaevola brooksiana was first formally described in 1884 by Ferdinand von Mueller in The Victorian Naturalist from specimens collected "in the vicinity of Israelite Bay, discovered by "Miss S.J.Brooke".[4] Although Mueller initially described S. brookeana from specimens collected by "Miss S.J.Brooke", the collector was Sarah Brooks, and in 1889 von Mueller used the spelling S. brooksiana in the second edition of the Systematic Census of Australian Plants.[5] The Australian Plant Census corrected the name following the rules of the Shenzhen Code 2018.[1][6]
Distribution
This species of Scaevola occurs only on Mount Ragged in the Cape Arid National Park, in the Mallee bioregion of south-western Western Australia.[3]
Conservation status
Scaevola brooksiana is listed as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[3] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 "Scaevola brooksiana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- 1 2 Carolin, Roger Charles. "Scaevola brooksiana". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Scaevola brooksiana". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1884). "Brief record of a new Scaevola". The Victorian Naturalist. 1 (2): 122–123. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1889). Dicotyledoneae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 148. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Chapter VIII Orthography and Gender of Names". International Code of Nomenclature. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 9 April 2026.