Pimelea suaveolens

Pimelea suaveolens, commonly known as the scented banjine or silky-yellow banjine is a slender shrub with large, rather hairy yellow inflorescences. It ranges in forest areas of the south-west of Western Australia from New Norcia to Albany.

Scented banjine
Pimelea suaveolens subsp. suaveolens near Albany
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Genus: Pimelea
Species:
P. suaveolens
Binomial name
Pimelea suaveolens

Description

Pimelea suaveolens is an erect, spindly, often multi-stemmed shrub which grows to a height of 0.25–1.2 m (0.8–4 ft). The stems and leaves are glabrous and the leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, sword-shaped and 10–30 mm (0.4–1 in) long. The inflorescences are 30–40 mm (1–2 in) across and consist of many pale to deep yellow flowers surrounded by hairy, petal-like bracts and hang from the branches. Flowering occurs from June to October.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

Pimelea suaveolens was first formally described in 1845 by Carl Meissner and the description was published in Lehmann's Plantae Preissianae from a specimen collected by James Drummond at Greenmount in 1839.[1][5] The specific epithet (suaveolens) is a Latin word meaning "sweet-smelling".[6]

There are two subspecies:

  • Pimelea suaveolens Meisn. subsp. suaveolens[7] which has glaucous leaves;
  • Pimelea suaveolens subsp. flava[8] which has green leaves.[9]

Distribution and habitat

Scented banjine grows on sand, sandy clay, gravel and laterite on undulating plains, flats, ridges and roadsides.[4] It grows between New Norcia and Albany in the Coolgardie, Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Geraldton Sandplains, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain, Jarrah Forest and Warren biogeographic regions.[10]

Conservation status

Pimelea suaveolens is classified as not threatened by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[4]

Cultivation

This species is not difficult to propagate from cuttings but is difficult to maintain in cultivation. "Good drainage and partial shade are important."[2]

References
  1. "Pimelea suaveolens Meisn". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. Wrigley, John W; Fagg, Murray (2013). Australian native plants (6th ed.). Chatswood, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland. p. 284. ISBN 9781921517150.
  3. Erickson, Rica (1982). Flowers and plants of Western Australia (Reprinted 1983 ed.). Sydney: Reed. p. 39. ISBN 058950116X.
  4. "Pimelea suaveolens Rchb.f." FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  5. Meissner, Carl D.F.; Lehmann, Johann G.C. (1845). Plantae Preissianae Vol.1, No.4. Hamburg. pp. 603–604. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 773.
  7. "Pimelea suaveolens Meisn. subsp. suaveolens". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  8. "Pimelea suaveolens subsp. flava". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  9. Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2009). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (3rd ed.). Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 211. ISBN 9781877058844.
  10. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 560. ISBN 0646402439.
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