Dicliptera maclearii is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae which is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. Its specific epithet honours John Maclear, captain of the survey vessel HMS Flying Fish, which visited Christmas Island in 1886.[2]
| Dicliptera maclearii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Dicliptera |
| Species: | D. maclearii |
| Binomial name | |
| Dicliptera maclearii | |
Description
Dicliptera maclearii is an erect herb with small pink flowers growing to 1 m in height. Its leaves are lanceolate to ovate, acuminate or spine-tipped, 20–70 mm long and 5–30 mm wide. It closest relative is D. ciliata.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Found only on Christmas Island, it is common in places on the lower terraces of the island, including at Flying Fish Cove and North West Point.[2]
References
Notes
Sources
- Hemsley, William (1890). "REPORT ON THE BOTANICAL COLLECTIONS FROM CHRISTMAS ISLAND, Indian Ocean, made by Captain J. P. Maclear, Mr. J. J. Lister, and the Officers of H.M.S. 'Egeria'". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 25 (172): 351–362 [356]. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1890.tb02403.x.
- "Dicliptera maclearii Hemsl". Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study. 1993. Retrieved 2010-11-25.