Leucopogon rufus
# Leucopogon rufus

Leucopogon rufus, commonly known as spoon-leaf beard-heath or ruddy bearded-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with erect to spreading, egg-shaped leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers arranged in spikes in two to five leaf axils near the ends of branches.

## Description

Leucopogon rufus is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 30–60 cm (12–24 in), its young branchlets sometimes covered with fine, soft hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped and erect to spreading, 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) wide. The leaves are sometimes glabrous, otherwise covered with soft hairs, the lower side a paler shade of green, and there is a sharp bristle on the tip. The flowers are borne in spikes in two to five upper leaf axils, the spikes 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long, with egg-shaped to almost round bracteoles 1.4–2.0 mm (0.055–0.079 in) long at the base. The sepals are narrowly egg-shaped, 3.1–4.6 mm (0.12–0.18 in) long, the petals white, 5.3–6.6 mm (0.21–0.26 in) long and joined at the base, forming a tube, the lobes shorter than the petal tube. Flowering occurs from November to March, and the fruit is about 6 mm (0.24 in) long.

## Taxonomy

Leucopogon rufus was first formally described in 1838 by John Lindley in Thomas Mitchell's journal, Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia. The specific epithet (rufus) means "reddish".

## Distribution and habitat

Spoon-leaf beard-heath occurs in scattered populations in northern and north-eastern Victoria, extending into south-eastern South Australia and the far south of New South Wales. In usually grows in heath, but is also found in open forest and mallee scrub.

