Xerothamnella parvifolia

Xerothamnella parvifolia
Conservation status
Vulnerable (EPBC Act)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Acanthaceae
Genus:	Xerothamnella
Species:	X. parvifolia
Binomial name
Xerothamnella parvifolia C.T.White, 1944

Xerothamnella parvifolia, also known as the Small-leaved Little Dry Shrub, is a species of plant in the acanthus family that is endemic to Australia.^[1]

Description[]

The species grows as an intricately-branched, straggling shrub to about 1 m in height. The leaves are thick and stalkless, 4–10 mm long and 2–3 mm wide. The white and red flowers are about 10 mm long and occur in the upper leaf axils. Flowering usually takes place from November to January, and sometimes in other seasons, when triggered by adequate rainfall. The fruits are 7–8 mm long capsules.^[1]

Distribution and habitat[]

The species is found in the Channel Country IBRA bioregion, in south-western Queensland, Mount Poole in north-western New South Wales and in South Australia. It grows in low chenopod shrubland and low open woodland, in thin sandy clay soils, along the ridgetops and slopes of sandstone ranges.^[1]

Conservation[]

The species is listed as Vulnerable under Australia's EPBC Act and Endangered under New South Wales' Biodiversity Conservation Act. Threats include grazing and browsing by native and feral herbivores, as well as by mineral exploration activities.^[1]

References[]

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