Leucopogon kirupensis (Ericaceae: Styphelioideae: Styphelieae), a new, short-range endemic from the south-west corner of Western Australia

Abstract

The genus Leucopogon R.Br. has been recently recircumscribed to include only those species with terminal inflorescences and (usually) sterile anther tips (Crayn et al. 2020). The transfer to Styphelia Sm. of the remaining species (i.e. those with strictly axillary inflorescences lacking sterile anther tips), together with all species previously placed in Astroloma R.Br., Coleanthera Stschegl. and Croninia J.M.Powell, means that Styphelia has now replaced Leucopogon as Australia’s most speciose epacrid genus. However, Leucopogon remains a large genus, especially in Western Australia where 97 published taxa are currently accepted on the State’s vascular plant census (Western Australian Herbarium 1998‒), with the richest part of the State (and hence of Australia) being the Jarrah Forest bioregion (Department of the Environment 2013). The uncommon species described below brings to 52 the number of currently accepted, published Leucopogon taxa for this region, putting it narrowly ahead of the Esperance Plains bioregion, which has 46 (Western Australian Herbarium 1998–).