Eremaea blackwelliana is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with soft, pointed, non-prickly leaves, orange flowers in spring and cup shaped to almost spherical woody fruits. Flowers appear singly on the ends of short side branches formed in the previous year.
| Eremaea blackwelliana | |
|---|---|
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| Eremaea blackwelliana growing near Northam | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Eremaea |
| Species: | E. blackwelliana
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| Binomial name | |
| Eremaea blackwelliana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
editEremaea blackwelliana is a shrub with spreading branches, growing to about 3 metres (10 ft) high and wide. The leaves are 8.8–9.7 millimetres (0.3–0.4 in) long, 0.6–0.9 millimetres (0.02–0.04 in) wide, linear, pointed but not sharp and are thickened along the mid-line.[2][3]
The flowers are orange-coloured and occur singly on the end of branches formed the previous year. The outer surface of the flower cup (the hypanthium) is densely hairy. There are 5 petals 3.2–4.5 millimetres (0.1–0.2 in) long. The stamens, which give the flower its colour, are arranged in 5 bundles, each containing 20 to 26 stamens. Flowering occurs from October to November and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules. The capsules are more or less cup-shaped to spherical, smooth and 7.5–8.1 millimetres (0.30–0.32 in) long.[2]
Taxonomy and naming
editEremaea blackwelliana was first formally described in 1993 by Roger Hnatiuk in Nuytsia.[2][4] The specific epithet (blackwelliana) honours Marion Blackwell, a landscape designer who encouraged the cultivation of Australian native plants.[2]
Distribution and habitat
editEremaea blackwelliana is found in the Avon district[2] in the Avon Wheatbelt and Jarrah Forest biogeographic regions.[3] It grows in sand in gently sloping depressions.[5]
Conservation
editEremaea blackwelliana is listed as "Priority 4" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[3] meaning that it is rare or near threatened.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Eremaea blackwelliana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Hnatiuk, Roger J. (1998). "A revision of the genus Eremaea (Myrtaceae)". Nuytsia. 9 (2): 180–183. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Eremaea blackwelliana". FloraBase. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ "Eremaea blackwelliana". APNI. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 362. ISBN 0646402439.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 9 August 2019.