Synaphea sp. Serpentine  |  

Synaphea sp. Serpentine was segregated from S. odocoileops (Priority One) as a new taxon in
2005. When it was segregated, S. sp. Serpentine was given a lower conservation listing (Priority 3) as collections had been made from secure tenure (Serpentine) with other localities scattered from Byford to Elgin (NB: This species has not been relocated at many of its originally stated collection locations (i.e. near Byford, near Elgin). Synaphea odocoileops was described by George in 1995 but, regrettably, the description of this species was based primarily on collections which differ significantly from the type specimen (A.S. George 17072; ‘near Elgin, south of Bunbury, W.A.’). Accordingly, S. odocoileops was segregated into S. odocoileops sens. str. (‘in the strict sense’) and S. sp. Serpentine, with the majority of specimens being re-determined as S. sp. Serpentine. The diagnostic characters of
S. odocoileops discussed by George (1995) refer mainly to S. sp. Serpentine. As such, when George (1995) stated that S. odocoileops was distinguishable from S. stenoloba (T) by its “lessdivided leaves with longer, flatter terminal lobes and a long-pilose petiole, and slightly smaller flowers”, this statement actually refers to S. sp. Serpentine. Typical plants of S. odocoileops are more similar to S. stenoloba than has been previously documented, but the two taxa are still distinguishable in the field and from herbarium specimens.