Androcalva perkinsiana

Androcalva perkinsiana, commonly known as headland commersonia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to a restricted part of central eastern Queensland. It is a small, erect shrub with hairy young branchlets, oblong or lance-shaped leaves with 5 to 11 pairs of small serrations on the edges, and groups of 3 to 4 pale purple flowers.

Description
Androcalva perkinsiana is an erect shrub that typically grows up to 10 cm high, 30 cm wide, and that forms suckers. Its young branchlets are covered with soft, glandular hairs. The leaves are oblong to lance-shaped, 20–40 mm long and 6–11 mm wide on a petiole 2–5 mm long with triangular stipules 2–3 mm long at the base. The edges of the leaves have 5 to 11 pairs of small serrations, the upper surface is covered with star-shaped hairs and the lower surface is velvety-hairy. The flowers are arranged in groups of 3 or 4 on a peduncle 1.5–2.5 mm long, each flower on a pedicel less than 2 mm long, with bracts 2 mm long at the base. The flowers are pale purple and 7–9 mm in diameter with 5 petal-like sepals, the lobes 2.0–3.5 mm long. The petals are 3.4–4.0 mm long, the middle lobe egg-shaped and the side lobes rounded. Flowering has been recorded in April and December.

Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 2006 by Gordon Guymer who gave it the name Commersonia perkinsiana in the journal Austrobaileya from specimens collected in the Byfield Conservation Park in 2005. In 2012, Carolyn Wilkins and Barbara Whitlock transferred the species to Androcalva as A. perkinsiana in Australian Systematic Botany. The specific epithet (perkinsiana) honours David Perkins (1945–2006), who furthered the conservation of Queensland's coastal environment and marine parks.

Distribution and habitat
Headland commersonia is only known from a single population on a coastal headland in Byfield Conservation Park where it grows in tussock grassland.

Conservation status
Androcalva perkinsiana is listed as "critically endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.