Leucopogon infuscatus

Leucopogon infuscatus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrublet with many branches, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves, and light brown, densely bearded flowers.

Description
Leucopogon infuscatus is a shrublet that typically grows to a height of 20–50 cm and has many spreading branches. Its leaves are egg-shaped to lance-shaped, 3.5–5.5 mm long and 1.7–2.3 mm wide on a petiole about 0.4 mm long. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils in a spike 4–10 mm long with up to 12 flowers with broad, more or less overlapping brown bracts 2.0 mm long and slightly smaller bracteoles. The sepals are oblong, about 2.5 mm long, the petals light brown and joined at the base to form a tube about 1.5 mm long, the lobes 2.5–3.0 mm long and densely bearded on the inside. Flowering mainly occurs in August and September.

Taxonomy and naming
Leucopogon infuscatus was first formally described in 1986 by Arne Strid in the journal Willdenowia from specimens he collected near Ravensthorpe along the road to Esperance in 1982. The specific epithet (infuscatus) is derived from the Latin word infusco, meaning "to darken", referring to flower parts which darken and dry as they age.

Distribution and habitat
This leucopogon grows on ridgetops and flats in the Esperance Plains bioregion of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status
Leucopogon infuscatus is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.