Toothed guinea flower

Appearance

''Hibbertia dentata'' grows as a twining vine, the stems of which can be up to 2–3 m in length, and trail over rocks and other shrubs. The dark green leaves are ovate, measuring 4–7 cm long by 1.5–3 cm wide., and sit on 1 cmlong petioles.

The apex of the leaf blade can be pointed or blunt, while the leaf margins are toothed. They can be purple-tinged and covered in fur when young and smooth upon reaching maturity. The flowers appear mainly from July to November. They arise from axillary buds or on the ends of short stems. They have five petals that are 2–3 cm long each, and over 30 stamens. The flowers generally wither within a day or two. The fruit is mature over November to January, splitting to release the seeds.

Distribution

''Hibbertia dentata'' occurs in open forest or on the edge of rainforest along the east coast and hinterlands of New South Wales, extending into southeastern Queensland and eastern Victoria.

Habitat

Associated forest species in the Sydney region include mountain grey gum, Sydney peppermint, messmate, Sydney red gum, turpentine and scrub species such as coastal tea tree. Within this habitat it is found on sheltered slopes in areas with good drainage, on clay-, shale- or sandstone-based soils that are high in nutrients.''Hibbertia dentata'' can resprout after bushfire from its roots and flower within ten months. Seedlings have also been recorded in this time frame.

Reproduction

The flowers are visited by European honeybees, native short-tongue bees of the families Halictidae and Colletidae, and large hoverflies of the genus ''Melangyna''.