Lomatia tinctoria

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Eudicots > Basal Eudicots > Proteales > Proteaceae > Lomatia  tinctori

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:        Guitar plant 

• This name refers to the shape of the fruit

Etymology:   

• Lomatia:  from Greek loma, a fringe, referring to the wing that surrounds the seed

• 
  

Flowers:                  

• The white or cream flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear in summer

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• The leaves are strongly lobed (pinnate or bipinnate) and are around 8 cm long

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A woody shrub up to about 2 m tall 

Habitat:   

• It grows in subalpine woodlands, lowland scrubby vegetation in wetter areas, and occasionally in rainforest 

Distribution:                  

•  Lomatia tinctoria is found in north eastern Tasmania

• Mostly north and east of the Pieman and Derwent rivers and on Cape Barren and on and Flinders Islands

Additional notes:        

• It is one of three species of Lomatia endemic to Tasmania, the others being L. polymorpha and L. tasmanica

• Hybrids

  • Lomatia tinctoria is closely related to L. polymorpha, with which it sometimes hybridises; its leaves are divided, while those of L. polymorpha are simple

  • Lomatia polymorpha occurs approximately south of the Pieman River and west of the Derwent River  

  • Where the ranges overlap, as for example near Lake St Clair, apparent hybrids occur, even though the leaves of the two species are strikingly different

• Cultivation

  • It can be grown in gardens

  • It grows  best on acidic well-drained soils, and tolerating sunny or shady locations

  • It is readily propagated from seed or cuttings

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomatia_tinctoria (2023)