Conservation status of Lechenaultia aphylla (Goodeniaceae), a disturbance opportunist from the Great Victoria Desert, Australia

Abstract

LIKE all genera in the Goodeniaceae, the south-west of Western Australia is the centre of diversity for Lechenaultia R.Br. with 20 of 26 species in the genus endemic to the region (Keighery and Sage 1999; Morrison 1992). Many species of Lechenaultia (and Goodeniaceae) have habitat preferences for ephemerally wet sites (watercourses and lake edges), especially in the Eremaean Botanical Province (unpubl. data). Species such as L. striata (nomenclature follows Western Australian Herbarium 1998 and Orchard and Wilson 2001) and L. galactites are disturbance opportunists, showing prolific population growth after fire events (S. van Leeuwen, pers. comm.; unpubl. data). Of the remaining species scattered across central and eastern Australia, L. aphylla is the least known with only two non-flowering collections from the extreme eastern Great Victoria Desert bioregion of South Australia (including the holotype). A recent collection of the species made over 1 100 km to the west highlights the lack knowledge of the species and bioregion in general.