432 
Telopea 9(2): 2001 
free, 0.3-0.6 mm long. Style 5-6.5 mm long, trichomatous in upper region; ovules 7-8, 
collateral in two longitudinal rows. Fruit a simple, dry indehiscent nut, 4.4-7 mm long, 
1.5-2.4 mm wide, caducous after seed set, red-brown. 
Additional specimens: New South Wales: North Western Slopes: Jonquil Knob, 500 m north of 
Carpet Snake Trail, Torrington State Recreation Area, south-west of Tenterfield (29°H'21"S 
151°32T4"E), in shrubland on shallow soils on granite outcrop, 800 m altitude, Hunter & Croft, 
20 Nov 1998 (BRI, CANB, MEL, NSW); Jonquil Knob, 500 ni north of Carpet Snake Trail, Torrington 
State Recreation Area, south-west of Tenterfield, Hunter, 15 Jun 1999 (BRI, CANB, MEL, NSW); 
Torrington SRA, 2.5 km south of Tin Pot Gully on Carpet Snake Trail, 29°15'S, 15T29'E, 900 m 
altitude, Copeland 808 & Clarke, 17 Nov 1997 (BRI, CANB, MEL, NSW, NE). 
Distribution: Homoranthus binghiensis is restricted to the northern and western fall of 
the Torrington State Recreation Area, which lies within the North Western Slopes of 
New South Wales south west of Tenterfield. The known distribution of the species is 
highly scattered and disjunct over 10-15 km. 
Flowering: November to January. 
Habitat: found in open and exposed situations on and around the margins of granite 
outcrops between 700-950 m above sea level. The mean annual rainfall of this area is 
700-800 mm. The species is found in shrublands and heath on shallow soil depressions 
on granite outcrops or on shallow soils around their margins. Associated species 
include Eucalyptus prava, Eucalyptus dealbata and Callitris endlicheri in the overstorey 
and Calytrix tetragona, Babingtonia odontocalyx, Leptospermum trinervium, Kunzea 
bracteolata, Lcucopogon melaleucoides, and Leptospermum novae-angliae in the shrub layer. 
Notes: Homoranthus binghiensis is easily distinguished morphologically from its 
congeners in New South Wales by its large stature and thick leaves. Affinities are 
uncertain at this stage but probably lie with H. biflorus, H. croftianus and H. montanus. 
Homoranthus binghiensis can be also be distinguished from H. croftianus and H. biflorus 
by having fewer ovules and from H. montanus by having 2-6 sepal laciniae (Table 1). 
Craven and Jones (1991) considered the former character to be particularly useful in 
determining relationships within the genus. Clarke and Fulloon (1999) have shown 
that H. binghiensis is an obligate seeder. 
Table 1. Diagnostic characters for Homoranthus binghiensis and putative sister taxa. 
H. binghiensis 
H. biflorus 
H. croftianus 
H. montanus 
Sepal laciniae 
2-6 
3-5 
1-3 
1 
Ovule number 
7 - 8 
8 - 11 
10-11 
6-9 
Leaf thickness: 
width 
> 4:1 
1:1 
2:1 
1:1 
Conservation status: in the vegetation survey report for Torrington State Recreation 
Area (Clarke et al. 1998) a ROTAP code (Briggs & Leigh 1996) of 2K was proposed for 
the species. However, based on only five currently known populations, the small size 
of each population, the limited distribution and threats from inappropriate fire 
regimes, a ROTAP code of 2VCt is recommended. 
Etymology: the area to the west of Torrington that is part of a granite batholith 
surrounded in the south, west and north by Permian sedimentary rocks has for some 
time been known as Binghi. Hence, the specific epithet is in reference to the type locality. 
