Micromyrtus ciliata is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a spreading to erect shrub with crowded, oblong to egg-shaped leaves and small white or pink flowers arranged singly in upper leaf axils, forming clusters on the ends of branches.
| Fringed heath-myrtle | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Micromyrtus |
| Species: | M. ciliata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Micromyrtus ciliata | |
Description
editMicromyrtus blakelyi is a spreading to erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1.2 m (1 ft 0 in – 3 ft 11 in). Its leaves are crowded, oblong to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 1.5–4.0 mm (0.059–0.157 in) long, 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) wide and more or less sessile. The flowers are more or less sessile, arranged singly in upper leaf axils, forming clusters near the ends of branches with bracteoles 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long at the base. The sepals are more or less round, up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long and the petals white or pink, broadly elliptic, 1.5–4 mm (0.059–0.157 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) wide. There are usually five stamens, the filaments 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from August to December.[2][3][4][5][6]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first formally described in 1797 by James Edward Smith who gave it the name Imbricaria ciliata in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.[7][8] In 1917, George Claridge Druce transferred the species to Micromyrtus as M. ciliata in The Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles Report for 1916.[9][10]
Distribution and habitat
editMicromyrtus ciliata grows in a variety of habitats including mallee, forest and heath, often in rocky places. It is found in south-eastern and central New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory south from Merriwa and the Hunter region, in the drier parts of inland Victoria, and in the far south-east of South Australia.[2][3][4][6]
References
edit- ^ "Micromyrtus ciliata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b Wilson, Peter G. "Micromyrtus ciliata". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b Green, John W. (1983). "Taxonomy of Micromyrtus ciliata (Myrtaceae) and allied species including three new species of Micromyrtus from eastern Australia and lectotypification of M. minutiflora". Nuytsia. 4 (3): 318–322. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Micromyrtus ciliata". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Les (1991). Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney. Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press. p. 59. ISBN 0864171927.
- ^ a b Fairley, Alan; Moore, Philip (2010). Native Plants of the Sydney Region. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Jacana Books. p. 305. ISBN 9781741755718.
- ^ "Imbricaria ciliata". APNI. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Smith, James E. (1797). "Botanical Characters of Some Plants of the Natural Order of Myrti". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 3: 259. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Micromyrtus ciliata". APNI. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Druce, George C. (1917). "Nomenclatorial Notes: chiefly African and Australian". The Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles Report for 1916. 4: 636. Retrieved 23 September 2023.