Euphrasia arguta

Taxobox
name = "Euphrasia arguta"


image_caption =
status = Not evaluated
status_system = IUCN 2.3
status_ref =
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Lamiales
familia = Orobanchaceae
genus = "Euphrasia"
species = "E. arguta"
binomial = Euphrasia arguta
binomial_authority = R.Br.
synonyms = "Euphrasia scabra var. arguta"

Euphrasa arguta is a plant from the genus Euphrasia (eyebrights) within the family Orobanchaceae. The species was last recorded in June 1904 near Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia, and was presumed extinct until rediscovered in 2008 by Forests worker Graham Marshall in NSW's Nundle State Forest. [cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23977083-5005940,00.html|title='Extinct' plant found in NSW|publisher=Sunday Tasmanian|date=2008-07-06|accessdate=2008-07-06]

Some scientists consider that it is a variety of the threatened Rough Eyebright ("Euphrasia scabra"). Previously the whole genus Euphrasia was considered as member of the family Scrophulariaceae. It was first described by Robert Brown in his reference work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen in 1810.

Description

The erect stem of this annual herb reaches a height from 20 to 35 centimetres and is covered with dense hairs. The deeply lobed leaves are opposite. The upper stem leaves with a length of about six to fourteen millimetres and a width from 3.5 to 13 millimetres are ovate-ellyptic. The racemes consists of 50 to 90 flowers. The length of the usually scabrous calyx reaches from 5.5 to 7 millimetres. The corolla measures from ten to fourteen millimetres coloured from white to lilac with yellow markings. The tube is 6.7 to 8.5 millimetres long and the anthers 0.9 to 1.7 millimetres. The capsule has a length of 4 to 7.5 millimetres and is bristly at the upper half. Like the other eyebright species "Euphrasia arguta" is a partial parasite and is connected through a haustorium to the rootlets of other plants.

The flowering period is from October to January.

Occurrence

Its previous habitat consists of grassy areas near rivers in elevations until 700 m asl with an annual rainfall of 600 mm. It was native in the ecoregions North Coast (NC), Northern Tablelands (NT), Central Tablelands (CT), North West Slopes (NWS) and Central West Slopes (CWS) in the Australian state of New South Wales, in particular in the areas from Bathurst to Walcha.

tatus

In 1982 Australian botanist William R. Barker stated in his study "Taxonomic studies in Euphrasia L. (Scrophulariaceae). A revised infrageneric classification, and a revision of the genus in Australia" in the "Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens" that "Euphrasia arguta" was not collected for at least 75 years. In 1997 the World Conservation Monitoring Centre compiled it into the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants within the category "globally extinct". [Kerry S. Walter & Harriet J. Gillett: "1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants." Compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. ISBN 2-8317-0328-X] . After the enacting of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2000 it was listed as officially extinct in July 2000 by the Australian government.

On 6th July 2008 Ian MacDonald, New South Wales Primary Industries Minister, announced that Forestry Workers had rediscovered specimens of Euphrasia arguta in Nundle State Forest, New South Wales.

References

Further reading

*Harden, Gwen J. (ed.) 1992. Flora of New South Wales vol 3. UNSW Press. ISBN 0868401722
*Barker, William R. 1982. "Taxonomic studies in Euphrasia L. (Scrophulariaceae). A revised infrageneric classification, and a revision of the genus in Australia" in "Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens"

External links

* [http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Euphrasia~arguta New South Wales Flora Online - Euphrasia arguta]
* [http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/HerbLink/multimedia/12/356/231251.jpgHerbarium sheet from the Australian National Herbarium]
* [http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/58556/Cun7Ben241.pdf Ecology of Sydney plant species] (PDF)
* [http://news.www28.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=592681 Photograph of the rediscovered species]
* [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iukzzOQIMnn0agXNFfJ3wmqKVtaA AFP Announcment of Rediscovery

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