Acalypha lyonsii
| Lyons' acalphya | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cairns Botanic Gardens January 2024 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Acalypha |
| Species: | A. lyonsii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Acalypha lyonsii | |
Acalypha lyonsii, commonly known as Lyon's acalypha is a shrub in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae that is only found in the vicinity of Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Description[edit]
Acalypha lyonsii is a shrub up to 4 m (13 ft) tall. The leaves are arranged alternately on the twigs and measure up to 45 mm (1.8 in) long by 25 mm (0.98 in) wide. They have rounded teeth on the margins and 4 or 5 lateral veins either side of the midrib. Flowers are produced from the leaf axils - male flowers are less than 1 mm (0.04 in) long and carried on a spike, female flowers are solitary, about 3 mm (0.12 in) diameter and subtended by a much larger bract. The fruit is a 3-lobed capsule about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and 4 mm (0.16 in) wide.[4][5]
Taxonomy[edit]
This species was described in 1994 by the Queensland botanist Paul Irwin Forster based on material collected by Christopher Lyons in 1992 on the Lamb Range southwest of Cairns.[2] The species is named after him.[6]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Acalypha lyonsii grows as an understorey plant in rainforest near Cairns, at altitudes from sea level to about 200 m (660 ft).[4][5]
Conservation[edit]
This species is listed by the Queensland Government's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation as vulnerable.[1] As of 20 March 2024[update], it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Gallery[edit]
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Flowers -
Foliage -
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References[edit]
- ^ a b "Species profile—Acalypha lyonsii". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Acalypha lyonsii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Acalypha lyonsii P.I.Forst". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Acalypha lyonsii". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b Forster, Paul I. (2022). Moon, Chris; Orchard, Tony (eds.). "Acalypha lyonsii". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 169. ISBN 978-0958174213.
External links[edit]
- View a map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- View images of this species on Flickriver.com