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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Lamiaceae
Westringia rigida

Citation: R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 501 (1810).

Synonymy: Westringia dampiera

Common name: Stiff westringia, stiff western rosemary.

Description:
Shrubs 0.3-0.6 rarely to 1 m high; branches subterete with 2 slightly raised lateral ridges, sparsely to densely hairy distally, glabrous basally; leaves in whorls of 3 or 4, spreading to recurved, sessile; lamina ovate to narrowly ovate, 1.9-5.2 rarely to 9.8 mm long, 1-1.7 rarely to 2.2 mm wide, rigid, sparsely to moderately hairy, hairs usually persistent on the abaxial surface, but the adaxial surface becoming sparsely hairy or rarely glabrous, base rounded to broadly obtuse, margin entire and recurved, with the abaxial surface, almost concealed, apex submucronate to subpungent with a rigid point c. 0.8 mm long; pedicel 0.2-0.7 rarely 1 mm long, densely hairy.

Bracteoles inserted near the base of the calyx, narrow, ovate to suboblong, 1-1.5 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, moderately to densely hairy; calyx green, mid-vein of each sepal thickened to form a ridge from the base to the apex of each calyx lobe, outer surface densely hairy, hairs less than 0.2 mm long; tube 2.6-3.6 mm long, inner surface glabrous; lobes depressed-triangular to very broadly triangular, 0.9-1.6 rarely to 0.6 mm long, 1-1.7 mm wide at the base, inner surface moderately to densely hairy; calyx lobes to tube ratio 0.21-0.5 rarely 0.2; corolla 6-7 mm long, white, often with a mauve tinge, with orange to orange-brown dots medially on the lower surface of the tube and mouth, dots also on the lateral and abaxial lobes; outer surface moderately hairy, hairs 0.1-0.3 mm long; inner surface sparsely to moderately hairy, hairs 0.3-0.4 rarely only 0.2 mm long; tube 3.3-5.2 mm long; lower median lobe oblong, 3.2-3.5 mm long, 2-2.2 mm wide; lateral lobes oblong, often slightly constricted 1-1.5 mm above the base, 1.5-3.3 mm long, 1.4-2 mm wide; upper median lobe-pair 3.2-4.4 mm long, 4.2-5 mm wide distally, 2-lobed, 0.1-0.3 mm long; inner surface sparsely to moderately hairy, hairs 0.2-0.4 mm long; tube 3.3-5.2 mm long; lower median lobe oblong, 3.2-3.5 mm long, 2-2.2 mm wide; lateral lobes oblong, often slightly constricted 1-1.5 mm above the base, 1.5-3.3 mm long, 1.4-2 mm wide; upper median lobe-pair 3.2-4.4 mm long, 4.2-5 mm wide distally, 2-lobed (sinus 1-1.2 mm long); staminal filaments 1.3-1.5 mm long, glabrous; anthers 0.7-0.8 mm long; staminodal filaments 0.4-0.9 mm long, glabrous; sterile anther lobes 0.4-0.5 mm long; pistil c. 6 mm long; ovary 0.7-1 mm long; style c. 5 mm long; stigma lobes 0.2-0.3 mm long.

Mericarps 1.5-1.8 mm long.

image of FSA3_Westringia_rig.jpg flowering branch and flower.
Image source: fig. 558I in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Costermans (1981) Native trees and shrubs of south-eastern Australia, p. 268; Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 581.

Distribution:  Usually occurring in shallow or deep sandy soils, frequently overlying limestone or sandstone, in Eucalyptus mallee or open Eucalyptus woodland communities, associated with Melaleuca spp., Acacia spp., Eremophila spp., Triodia spp., Dodonaea spp., Hakea spp., etc.

S.Aust.: NW, NU, GT, FR, EA, EP, NL, MU, YP, SL, SE.   W.Aust.; N.S.W.; Vic.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: Aug. — Nov.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available


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