Pimelea villosa (Pimelea villosa)
Description
Pimelea villosa, also known as Pimelea arenaria, is a species of shrub in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Its conservation status puts it at risk and declining, as determined by the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). Pimelea villosa is a sprawling shrub with hairy branches. It is found almost exclusively on sand dunes and associated areas. It possesses pointed leaves that are 5 to 15 mm long and 3 to 7mm wide. It also has white flowers and black, red, pink or white fruit. Nomenclature This plant was for many years known as Pimelea arenaria, a name published by Allan Cunningham in 1833. However, in 2009 it was pointed out by Burrows:330 that Pimelea villosa, a name proposed by Daniel Solander but not published by him, had been effectively published by James Edward Smith in 1814, and thus has priority. In the same paper, Burrows proposed to divide P. villosa into two subspecies, P. villosa subsp. villosa and P. villosa subsp. arenaria, basing the latter on Cunningham's specimens. This division remains controversial and is not accepted by some authorities. The name P. villosa was also applied illegitimately by some nineteenth century authors to an Australian plant, Pimelea longiflora
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Malvales
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Family: Thymelaeaceae
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Genus: Pimelea
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