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Dracophyllum secundum R.Br.
Family Ericaceae
Subfamily Epacridoideae
Dracophyllum secundum R.Br. APNI*

Description: Procumbent or erect shrub to 1 m high.

Leaves spreading, lanceolate, usually 5–14 cm long, 5–12 mm wide, apex long-acuminate, base broadly sheathing; margins entire or finely toothed.

Flowers in narrow panicles 5–15 cm long, mostly secund; bracts brown, falling. Sepals ovate, 3–5 mm long, acuminate. Corolla white or pink; tube 5–8 mm long; lobes ovate, 1.5–2 mm long, erect or spreading. Anthers 1.5–2 mm long, enclosed in tube; filaments with upper 1 mm free, fused below. Nectary scales c. 2 mm long.

Capsule c. 5 mm diam.


Habit
Photo R.V.Gallagher

Flower
Photo D. Hardin

Other photo
Photo D. Hardin

Herbarium
Sheet

Flowering: mainly August–December

Distribution and occurrence: Grows on sandstone rock ledges and wet cliff faces; coastal districts from Kendall to Pigeon House Mtn, and west to Blackheath.
NSW subdivisions: CC, SC, CT, ST
AVH map***

Text by J. M. Powell, except for groups with contributors listed
Taxon concept: N. Streiber, E.A. Brown, B.J. Conn & C.J. Quinn (1999)


ECOLOGY

Life History
Vegetative spread No.

Flowers White or pink, tubular 5--8 mm long, July--December, peak September, continuing until December in Blue Mountains.

Fruit/seed Capsule, 3--5 mm diam., with pale brown seeds less than 1 mm long, September--December, sporadic March--August (Brown & Streiber 1999).

Dispersal, establishment and growth Diaspore: seed, probably wind-dispersed. Dispersed by gravity, water, wind (A. Bofeldt pers. comm.).

Fire response Killed by high intensity fire (at Lane Cove River & Narrabeen Lake 1/1994), seedlings reported after fire (P. Kubiak pers. comm.).

Interaction with other organisms Root association with Ascomycete and Basidiomycete micorrhizas, possibly seasonal (Allen et al. 1989).


Habitat
Habitat Lithophyte on sandstone rock ledges and wet cliff faces. Sometimes on clay banks and rarely on tree fern trunks (A. Bofeldt pers. comm.).

Altitude 0--1100 m                                      Annual rainfall 900--1600 mm

Typical local abundance Frequent--occasional.

Vegetation With sandstone scrub or other moist site species e.g. Bauera rubioides, Leucopogon lanceolatus, Epacris longiflora, Epacris crassifolia , Tristaniopsis collina, Banksia serrata; warm temperate rainforest on poorer soils, M. Robinson, A. Bofeldt pers. comm.).

Substrate Sandstone rock ledges and wet cliff faces, very low-nutrient sites, moisture supply permanent. On very well-drained rocks or cliffs (A. Bofeldt pers. comm.), also recorded on shale (Brown & Streiber 1999).

Exposure Sheltered rock faces and ledges in gorges and valleys (Brown & Streiber 1999), deep--mid shade.


APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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