Styphelia williamsiorum

Styphelia williamsiorum is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, compact shrub with decussate, narrowly egg-shaped leaves, and deep purple, tube-shaped flowers with hairy lobes.

Description
Styphelia williamsiorum is a low, compact shrub that typically grows up to 30 cm high and 40 cm side, its young branchlets hairy. The leaves are decussate, pressed against the stems, narrowly egg-shaped, 3.0–7.0 mm long and 0.5–1.8 mm wide. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils with elliptic to egg-shaped bracts 0.3–0.5 mm long and bracteoles 1.0–1.4 mm long at the base. The sepals are narrowly egg-shaped, 1.7–2.4 mm long. The petals are deep purple, joined at the base, forming a tube 3.3–5.8 mm long with the lobes curved back, 1.3–2.2 mm long and densely hairy on the inside. Flowering occurs between mid-October and mid-December and the fruit is narrowly elliptic, 2.0–2.2 mm long and 0.5–0.6 mm long.

Taxonomy
Styphelia williamsiorum was first formally described in 2017 by Michael Clyde Hislop and Caroline Puente-Lelièvre in the journal Nuytsia. The specific epithet (williamsiorum) honours Don and Joy Williams of Badgingarra.

Distribution and habitat
This species occurs in the Geraldton Sandplains bioregion of south-western Western Australia from south of Eneabba to Badgingarra and as far east as the Alexander Morrison National Park, where it grows in shallow sandy soil in low heath.

Conservation status
Styphelia williamsiorum is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.