Hibbertia pancerea

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Hibbertia pancerea is a flowering plant in the Dilleniaceae family that is only found in Kakadu National Park. It grows as a spreading shrub up to about 1.5 meters tall, with dense, scaly foliage. The leaves are elliptic, 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm wide.

Each yellow flower sits alone in the leaf axil on a stalk 6–11 mm long and has small lance-shaped bracts. The petals are yellow and about 14–16 mm long. There are 26–30 stamens arranged in bundles around two carpels, with each carpel containing two ovules. Flowering has been observed in February and March.

The species was first formally described in 2010 by Hellmut R. Toelken, from specimens collected in 1984 at a site called Lightning Dreaming in Kakadu. The name pancerea means “with medieval armor,” referring to the plant’s large scales.

Hibbertia pancerea grows in shrubland and forest among sandstone rocks on the top escarpment of the northern Arnhem Land plateau in Kakadu National Park. It is classified as vulnerable under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976.