What is "lechenaultia"

Lechenaultia is a genus of plants in the Goodeniaceae family. Some species of this genus are used like ornamental plants. Lechenaultia species are diverse in form: they may be woody or herbaceous, upright or prostrate with leaves flat, needle-like or virtually absent in mature plants. The genus differs from other Goodeniaceae in the structure of the stigma and the fertilization mechanism. They are found in Australia and New Guinea (one species).

They are named for the botanist attached to the Baudin expedition to Australia, Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour. Robert Brown had met Leschenault and assumed to spell his name the French way without the 's'. However, Bentham introduced the German spelling with the 's' and subsequent writers followed suit as the name was written Leschenaultia, but reverted to Robert Brown's spelling in the 1950s. The common names of the species maintains the correction, as with the section name.

The type species is Lechenaultia formosa.

The following is a list of the taxa contained by the genus Lechenaultia;

Sections Lechenaultia R.Br. sect. Leschenaultia Lechenaultia sect. Patenti D.A.Morrison Lechenaultia brevifolia D.A.Morrison Species Lechenaultia acutiloba Benth. - Wingless Leschenaultia Lechenaultia aphylla D.A.Morrison Lechenaultia biloba Lindl. - Blue Leschenaultia Lechenaultia brevifolia D.A.Morrison Lechenaultia chlorantha F.Muell. - Kalbarri Leschenaultia Lechenaultia divaricata F.Muell. Lechenaultia expansa R.Br. Lechenaultia filiformis R.Br. Lechenaultia floribunda Benth. - Free-flowering Leschenaultia Lechenaultia formosa R.Br. - Red Leschenaultia Lechenaultia galactites L.W.Sage Lechenaultia heteromera Benth. - Claw Leschenaultia Lechenaultia hirsuta F.Muell. - Hairy Leschenaultia Lechenaultia hortii L.W.Sage Lechenaultia juncea E.Pritz. - Reed-like Leschenaultia Lechenaultia laricina Lindl. - Scarlet Leschenaultia Lechenaultia linarioides DC. - Yellow Leschenaultia Lechenaultia longiloba F.Muell. - Irwin Leschenaultia Lechenaultia lutescens D.A.Morrison & Carolin Lechenaultia macrantha K.Krause - Wreath Leschenaultia Lechenaultia magnifica L.W.Sage Lechenaultia ovata D.A.Morrison Lechenaultia papillata D.A.Morrison Lechenaultia pulvinaris C.A.Gardner - Cushion Leschenaultia Lechenaultia stenosepala E.Pritz. - Narrow-sepaled Leschenaultia Lechenaultia striata F.Muell. Lechenaultia subcymosa C.A.Gardner & A.S.George - Wide-branching Leschenaultia Lechenaultia superba F.Muell. - Barrens Leschenaultia Lechenaultia tubiflora R.Br. - Heath Leschenaultia

In addition to these species, there are two descriptions of specimens held at the Western Australian Herbarium:

• Lechenaultia sp. Gibson Desert
• Lechenaultia sp. Kokardine