Hemigenia is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae and is endemic to Australia where most species occur in Western Australia, although some are also found in New South Wales and Queensland. Plants in this genus are shrubs or bushes with simple leaves and tube-shaped flowers with the petals forming two "lips" - the upper one with two lobes and the lower one with three.

Hemigenia
Hemigenia incana at Gooseberry Hill National Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Prostantheroideae
Genus: Hemigenia
R.Br.[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Atelandra Lindl.
  • Colobandra Bartl.

Description

edit

Plants in the genus Hemigenia are shrubs or bushes with simple leaves which are arranged either in opposite pairs or in whorls. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups in upper leaf axils, often appearing to form a spike of flowers. There are five sepals which are joined at their base to form a tube. The five petals form a tube with two "lips" - an upper lip with two lobes and a lower one with three. There are four stamens.[3]

Plants in this genus can be distinguished from those in the similar and closely related Hemiandra by their less strongly odoriferous leaves and from Prostanthera, Microcorys and Westringia by technical differences in their stamens.

Taxonomy

edit

The genus Hemigenia was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. Brown nominated Hemigenia purpurea the type species.[1][4] The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek words hemi[5]: 392  and genias meaning "a beard"[5]: 365  referring to a part of the anthers.[3]

Distribution

edit

Hemigenia species are mostly endemic to Western Australia, but H. cuneifolia occurs in New South Wales and Queensland, H. biddulphiana grows in Queensland and H. purpurea in New South Wales.[6][7][8]

Species list

edit

The following is a list of Hemigenia species accepted by the Australian Plant Census as at November 2020:[9]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Hemigenia". APNI. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Hemigenia". APNI. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Hemigenia". FloraBase. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  4. ^ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus Florae novae Hollandiae. London. p. 502. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. ^ "Hemiandra". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  7. ^ "Hemigenia". Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Hemigenia biddulphiana". The State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Heritage Protection). Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Hemigenia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 10 November 2020.