Styphelia tubiflora, commonly known as red five-corners,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading shrub with oblong to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and usually red, tube-shaped flowers.
| Styphelia tubiflora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Styphelia |
| Species: | S. tubiflora |
| Binomial name | |
| Styphelia tubiflora | |
Description
Styphelia tubiflora is an erect to spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 20–90 cm (7.9–35.4 in) and has branchlets with soft hairs. Its leaves are oblong or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 7–24 mm (0.28–0.94 in) long and 1.5–3.3 mm (0.059–0.130 in) long on a petiole 0.4–0.6 mm (0.016–0.024 in) long. The tip of the leaf narrows and the upper surface is often rough to the touch.[3]
The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils and are nearly sessile or on a very short peduncle, usually red, sometimes cream-coloured or pale yellowish-green. There arebracteoles 2.6–4.0 mm (0.10–0.16 in) long at the base of the flowers and the sepals are {{cvt|8.4–11.4|mm long. The petals are joined at the base, forming a tube 14.6–25 mm (0.57–0.98 in) long with narrow lobes 11.5–14.0 mm (0.45–0.55 in) long.[3][4]
Flowering occurs from April to August, and the fruit is a dry, rounded capsule about 5 mm (0.20 in) long with a tiny "skirt" around one end.[5]
Taxonomy
Styphelia tubiflora was first formally described in 1795 by James Edward Smith in his A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland from specimens collected by John White.[6][7] The specific epithet (tubiflora) means "tubular-flowered". Smith described the plant as having "transcendent elegance", and noted its resemblance to "the favourite Erica tubiflora"[7] (now known as Erica curviflora var. curviflora).[8]
Distribution and habitat
Red five-corners grows on ridges and hillsides in woodland, forest and heath and is widespread between Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Jervis Bay.[3][5]
