Species of flowering plant
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Diplaspis cordifolia is an endemic Tasmanian herb, known commonly as western mountain-pennywort. It is found in alpine vegetation communities across Tasmania, most commonly in the West and South-western areas.
History.
"Diplaspis cordifolia" was first named by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1856, in Hooker's journal "The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M Discovery ships Erebus and Terror. III. Flora Tasmaniae 1(2)". "Diplaspis cordifolia" is one of three members of the "Diplaspis" genus with two other species: "Diplaspis hydrocotyle" and "Diplaspis nivis".
Description.
"Diplaspis cordifolia" is a perennial herb with creeping rhizomes. The species grows between high, with petioles pilose or on rare occasions glabrous. Its leaves range in size from 0.7-1.5cm, and are small and orbicular with crenulate margins.
It has a dark green rosette, and over 20 flowers per umbel. The flower petals are long and wide in bisexual flowers, or long and wide in male flowers.
A thick stalk of a few centimetres long holds the flowers and fruit. The fruit is long, wide and deep, and flushed with purple in colour.
Differentiation.
The easiest way to first identify which member of "Diplaspis" is being identified is based on location. "Diplaspis nivis" is not present in Tasmania, therefore only "Diplaspis cordifolia" and "Diplaspis hydrocotyle" are found in Tasmania. Another identifying character is "Diplaspis nivis" does not have crenate margins.
In order to separate "Diplaspis cordifolia" from "Diplaspis hydrocotyle", one must look at the flowers and leaf margins. "Diplaspis cordifolia" is androdioecious, with its margin lobes overlapping and leaf margins recurving at the hydathodes. whereas "Diplaspis hydrocotyle" only has bisexual flowers and has no overlapping present in their lamina lobes. The styles and stylopodium of "Diplaspis cordifolia" are also significantly longer than that of "Diplaspis hydrocotyle," making up a 1/3 of the total fruit length.
Habitat and distribution.
"Diplaspis cordifolia" is endemic to the Australian island state of Tasmania. It is considered to be part of a community of high-alpine plants and has been reported to be found at altitudes ranging from above sea level. It is found in crevices and between rocks, and prefers peaty soils, which are high in nutrients.
Within alpine areas, it has been recorded in coniferous heath vegetation, bolster heath vegetation, heath vegetation, bog vegetation and short alpine herb field vegetation". Diplaspis cordifolia" can be found at locations in Tasmania such as: Cradle Mountain, Mt Field, and the Southwest National Park. Tasmanian alpine environments are dominated by hardy shrubs and sedges, and their soils are largely composed of shallow layers of peat.
Conservation status and threats.
The conservation status of "Diplaspis cordifolia" is currently unknown, as it is not listed under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. However this does not mean that "Diplaspis cordifolia" is not at risk, as the impacts of issues such as climate change and population growth continue to worsen over time. As bushfires increase in frequency and intensity, alpine plants such as "Diplaspis cordifolia," will no longer be able to persist in their usual habitats. Other threats include damage to the physical structure of the plants themselves which can prevent them from growing and reproducing successfully. A large number of Tasmanian hiking trails are located in alpine areas "Diplaspis cordifolia" is present in, such as Mt Field National Park and Southwest National Park. As tourist numbers along the trails rise, the risk of "Diplaspis cordifolia" being trampled increases as well.
Synonyms.
"Diplaspis cordifolia" has also been known/recorded under the following synonyms:
References.
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