Melichrus erubescens, commonly known as ruby urn-heath,[2] is a flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a slender to compact, bushy shrub with mainly erect, glabrous leaves, pink to deep red flowers and more or less spherical, red drupes.
| Ruby urn-heath | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Melichrus |
| Species: | M. erubescens
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| Binomial name | |
| Melichrus erubescens | |
Description
editMelichrus erubescens is a slender to compact, bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of 30–120 cm (12–47 in). Its leaves are more or less erect, glabrous, 11–30 mm (0.43–1.18 in) long and 1.4–4.2 mm (0.055–0.165 in) wide on a petiole 0.8–1.7 mm (0.031–0.067 in) wide, with 8 to 16 deep ribs on the lower surface. The flowers are more or less hidden amongst the leaves, pink to deep red with bracteoles 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. The sepals are 3.8–4.5 mm (0.15–0.18 in) long and reddish and the petals form a cup-shaped tube 2.5–3.8 mm (0.098–0.150 in) long with spreading lobes 1.5–2.2 mm (0.059–0.087 in) long. Flowering occurs from February to October, but mainly in September, and the fruit is a red, more or less spherical drupe 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and finely ribbed.[2]
Taxonomy and naming
editMelichrus erubescens was first formally described in 1839 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in his in Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham.[3][4]
Distribution and habitat
editRuby urn-heath grows in forest, woodland and scrub on ridge tops and rocky outcrops between the Warrumbungle National Park Grenfell and Cowra in New South Wales and in south-eastern Queensland.[2]
Conservation status
editMelichrus erubescens is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Melichrus erubescens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Powell, Jocelyn M. "Melichrus erubescens". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ "Melichrus erubescens". APNI. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ Candolle, Augustin P. (1839). Candolle, Alphonse de (ed.). Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis. Vol. 7. Paris: Sumptibus Sociorum Treuttel et Würtz. p. 740. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ "Species profile—Melichrus erubescens (ruby urn heath)". Queensland Government, Department of Education and Science. Retrieved 27 November 2024.