Stenanthera localis (Ericaceae: Epacridoideae: Styphelieae), a new rarity from Western Australia

Abstract

Stenanthera localis Hislop sp. nov. is the second Western Australian member of the recently reinstated genus Stenanthera R.Br. (see Puente-Lelièvre et al. 2016) to be formally described. The first, S. pungens (Keighery) Hislop, was originally published as a Conostephium Benth. (Keighery 2002) before its transfer to Stenanthera (Hislop 2016). Both species are currently known only from a single population, but whereas the population of S. pungens is large, consisting of at least several hundred plants within a nature reserve, S. localis is known from less than 50 individuals spread between a crown and a shire reserve and as such has recently been nominated for listing as Critically Endangered.