Synonymy

Anthotroche myoporoides C. Gardner, J. Roy. Soc. W. Austral., 27: 191 (1942)

T: Irwin District, near Indarra, W.A., C.A.Gardner 2650; syn: BM, K, PERTH.

Description

Erect, rounded, often intricately branched shrub to 3 m, closely and densely tomentose throughout with non-glandular, dendritic hairs and smaller glandular hairs, greyish, the new growth bronze-green.

Leaves obovate to narrowly obovate-elliptic, mostly 20–35 mm long, 5–15 mm wide, juvenile leaves larger; petiole to 10 mm long, sometimes very short.

Flowers axillary or terminal, in loose, 4–6–flowered clusters; pedicels absent or to 5 mm long. Calyx 4.5–9 mm long; lobes 2–4 mm long. Corolla 5.5–8.5 mm long; tube pale greenish with deep violet (rarely drab grey-green) striations; lobes 2.5–4 mm long, violet, rarely drab white, the margins sometimes white. Stamens included.

Capsule more or less globose, 3–4 mm diam. Seeds c. 3 mm long.

Distribution and ecology

Endemic in the northern Irwin District of south-western W.A.

Occurs in small populations on sand plains in shrubland or mallee.

Notes

Phylogenetic studies by Garcia & Olmstead (2003) on the Tribe Anthocercideae using two chloroplast DNA regions included this species and indicated that Anthotroche is monophyletic.

Reference: V.F.Garcia & R.G.Olmstead (2003). Phylogenetics of Tribe Anthocercideaea (Solanaceae) based on ndhF and trnL/F sequence data. Systematic Botany 28: 609-615.

Selected specimens

W.A.: 3 km NW of Indarra Siding, L. Haegi 1156 (AD, BIRM, BRI, CBG, MO, NT, PERTH); 410 mile post, (±160 km N of Geraldton) NW Coastal Highway, F. Lullfitz L1964 (PERTH).

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Derivation of epithet

From Latin: the addition of -oides means "resembling", hence in this case "resembling Myoporum", presumably a reference to a perceived likeness to that genus.

Images and information on web

An image of the flowers of this species can be seen on the FloraBase site at http://florabase.calm.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/6951

Pharmacology: A discussion of the tropane alkaloids which occur in Anthotroche and other Anthocercideae can be found in Griffith & Lin (2000).

Ref: W.J. Griffin & G.D. Lin (2000). Chemotaxonomy and geographical distribution of tropane alkaloids. Phytochemistry 53: 627–628.

Plant status (if any)

Declared as Priority 2 - Poorly known based on Atkins (2008). See http://florabase.calm.wa.gov.au/conservationtaxa

Atkins, K.J. (2008). Declared Rare and Priority Flora List for Western Australia, 26 February 2008. (Dept of Environment and Conservation: Como, W.A.).