Stylidium alsinoides
| Stylidium alsinoides | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Drawing of S. alsinoides from the original 1770 Endeavour voyage of James Cook. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Stylidiaceae |
| Genus: | Stylidium |
| Subgenus: | Andersonia |
| Section: | Alsinoida |
| Species: | S. alsinoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Stylidium alsinoides R.Br. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Candollea alsinoida
| |
Stylidium alsinoides is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the genus Stylidium (family Stylidiaceae). It is an erect annual plant that grows from 18 to 30 cm tall. Obovate or elliptical leaves, about 20–100 per plant, are scattered along the elongate, glabrous stems. The leaves are generally 5.5–14 mm long and 3–8 mm wide. The bracts on the inflorescence can be as large as leaves and may be hard to distinguish them except for their growth habit: the leaves are alternate whereas the bracts are opposite.[1]
This species lacks a scape. Inflorescences are 5–15 cm long and produce white flowers that bloom from April to September in Australia but occur year-round in Malesia. S. alsinoides's distribution ranges from northern Queensland in Australia north to the island of Luzon in the Philippines and southern parts of Sulawesi in New Guinea. In Australia its typical habitat has been reported as a sandy soil in swamps that are dominated by Melaleuca quinquenervia, but has also been found on creekbanks with Melaleuca leucadendra or in some of the wetter rock crevices. S. alsinoides is most closely related to S. fluminense.[1]
Its conservation status has been assessed as data deficient.[1]