Capparis batianoffii Guymer

Guymer, G.P. (2008), Capparis batianoffii Guymer (Capparaceae) a new species from central coastal Queensland. Austrobaileya 7(4): 723-725, Fig. 1. Type: Queensland. North Kennedy District: Gloucester Island, East coast, 5 km N of Chinaman's Rock, 1 September 1992, G.N.Batianoff 920912 (holo: BRI; iso: BRI, K, MEL)

Scandent or climbing shrub to 6 m tall. Branches pendulous; stems and leaves clothed with sandy or pale brown contorted simple hairs.

Leaves simple, distichous (in one plane) and alternate. Stipular spines present, fine, needle like and recurved. Petioles about 1-1.5 mm long. Leaf blades mostly oblanceolate or obovate, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, occasionally ovate to ovate-lanceolate, about 10-20 mm long, 3.5-7 mm wide, base obtuse, margin recurved, apex truncate or retuse. Venation slightly raised above and below lateral veins 5-7, midrib sunken above, raised below.

Inflorescence axillary, solitary or in pairs. Flowers aromatic, produced on pedicels about 9-10 mm long. Sepals 4 (2+2), the outer sepals cymbiform (boat shaped) about 5.6-7 mm long, inner sepals ovate about 4.8-5.5 mm long, densely pubescent outside, glabrous inside. Petals about 10-11 mm long,  3.5-4 mm wide, densely clothed in sandy or pale brown hairs on the outer surface. Stamens 8, staminal filaments about 18-20 mm long. Gynophore with an ovary situated on a filiform stalk 18 mm long. Ovules numerous.

Not known for this species.

Features not available.

Occurs in CEQ, only know from Gloucester Island, east of Bowen. It occurs in Araucarian vine thickets on slopes amongst granitic boulders.

This species is similar to Capparis lasiantha (stamens 10-22) and Capparis sarmentosa (stamens 19-22) but differs from both in the fewer number of stamens (8 in C. batianoffii ). The leaves of C. sarmentosa are mostly ovate to circular cf. oblanceolate to narrow elliptic in C. batianoffii. Capparis lasiantha has a tomentose rather than woolly stem and leaf indumentum, mostly larger leaves (2 -9 cm in C. lasiantha cf. 1-2 cm in C. batianoffii ) and lacks the recurved leaf margin of C. batianoffii.

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