Common beard-heath

Appearance

''Leucopogon virgatus'' is an erect to low-lying shrub that typically grows to a height of 35–60 cm high and has softly-hairy, redish brown branchlets. The leaves are more or less erect, linear to narrowly lance-shaped or egg-shaped, 2–25 mm long and 0.9–5.0 mm wide on a petiole up to 1 mm long. Both sides of the leaves are glabrous, the same shade of green and there are three more or less parallel veins on the lower surface. The flowers are erect, arranged in groups of four to seven in spikes 5–10 mm long on the ends of branchlets and in upper leaf axils. The bracteoles are egg-shaped, about 1 mm long. The sepals are egg-shaped, 1.7–3.0 mm long, and the petals white, 3.0–3.5 mm long and joined at the base to form a tube, the petal lobes about the same length as the tube and densely bearded inside. Flowering occurs from July to December and the fruit is an oblong drupe about 2.3 mm long.

Naming

This species was first formally described in 1805 by Jacques Labillardière who gave it the name ''Styphelia virgata'' in his ''Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen''. In 1810, Robert Brown changed the name to ''Leucopogon virgatus'' in his ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae''. The specific epithet means "twiggy" or "long and slender".

In 1868, George Bentham described two subspecies of ''L. virgatus'' in ''Flora Australiensis'' and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census, but not by the National Herbarium of New South Wales:
⤷  ''Leucopogon virgatus'' var. ''brevifolius'' Benth. has leaves that are egg-shaped, 2–7 mm long and not sharply pointed.
⤷  ''Leucopogon virgatus'' R.Br.var. ''virgatus'' has leaves that are lance-shaped to narrowly lance-shaped, 7–25 mm long and more or less sharply pointed.

Distribution

''Leucopogon virgatus'' var. ''virgatus'' grows in heath, woodland and forest on the coast and ranges up to an altitude of 600 m in south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, and is widespread throughout Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and Tasmania. Variety ''brevifolius'' grows in heath or heathy woodland in western Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and in forest and woodland in the Northern Midlands of Tasmania.

Status

''Leucopogon virgatus'' var. ''brevifolius'' is listed as "rare" under the Tasmanian Government ''Threatened Species Protection Act 1995''.

Habitat

''Leucopogon virgatus'' var. ''virgatus'' grows in heath, woodland and forest on the coast and ranges up to an altitude of 600 m in south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, and is widespread throughout Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and Tasmania. Variety ''brevifolius'' grows in heath or heathy woodland in western Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and in forest and woodland in the Northern Midlands of Tasmania.