Eremaea ebracteata

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Eremaea ebracteata
Eremaea ebracteata flowers.jpg
In Kings Park, Perth
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eremaea
Species:
E. ebracteata
Binomial name
Eremaea ebracteata
Synonyms [1]

Melaleuca ebracteata(F.Muell.) Craven & R.D.Edwards

Contents

Eremaea ebracteata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow, mostly linear leaves and which bears orange-coloured flowers on the long branches of the same season's growth. The fruits have a surface that is rough and lumpy.

Description

Eremaea ebracteata is a shrub which grows to a height of about 1.0 metre (3 ft) and which has its younger branches densely covered with fine hairs. The leaves are linear to broad egg-shaped with the narrower end towards to base, 2.5–8.2 millimetres (0.1–0.3 in) long, 0.5–1.7 millimetres (0.02–0.07 in) wide and have a single prominent vein visible on the lower surface. (The two varieties differ mainly in leaf size and shape.) [2]

The flowers are orange and are on the ends of long branches which grew earlier in the same season. The flowers occur singly, rarely two or three together. There are 5 sepals which are hairy on the outside surface and 5 petals 5.4–6.7 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long. The stamens are arranged in 5 bundles, each containing 40 to 60 stamens. Flowering occurs from November to December and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules. The capsules are 5.8–8.4 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long, 5.7–9.5 millimetres (0.2–0.4 in) long, cup shaped to almost spherical and are rough or lumpy on the outer surface. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Eremaea ebracteata was first formally described in 1860 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae , from specimens collected by Augustus Oldfield near the Murchison River. [3] [4] The specific epithet (ebracteata) means "without bracts" [5]

In 1993, Roger Hnatiuk described two varieties of E. ebracteata in the journal Nuytsia , and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

Distribution and habitat

Eremaea ebracteata is found in the Irwin district although var. ebracteata generally occurs in more northern parts of the range. It grows in sand or sandy loam on sandplains. [8] [9]

Conservation

Both varieties of Eremaea ebracteata are classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eremaea</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Eremaea is a genus of woody shrubs and small trees in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Little study of the genus as a whole had been undertaken until Roger Hnatiuk researched Eremaea and published a paper in 1993, A revision of the genus Eremaea (Myrtaceae) in Nuytsia. The first species to be described was Eremaea pauciflora in 1837 and by 1964, the number of species known had increased to 12. Hnatiuk recognised 16 species, 5 subspecies and a number of varieties.

<i>Eremaea pauciflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea pauciflora is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and orange flowers at the ends of its branches. It has the most widespread distribution of the eremaeas with considerable variation in its characteristics so that three varieties are recognised. It was the first Eremaea to be described formally but was not originally given the name Eremaea.

<i>Eremaea fimbriata</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea fimbriata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with small leaves and single purple flowers on the ends of the branches. The fruits are woody, urn-shaped with a small opening at the top. Unlike other eremaeas which remain dormant during winter, Eremaea fimbriata begins the new year's growth in July or August.

<i>Eremaea acutifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea acutifolia, commonly known as rusty eremaea, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with needle-like leaves and which bears orange-coloured flowers on short side branches and fruits with a surface that is rough to the touch.

<i>Eremaea asterocarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea asterocarpa is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with broad, flat leaves, and orange-coloured flowers in late winter or spring. Single flowers appear on the ends of branches formed the previous year.

Eremaea atala is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with small, soft, non-prickly leaves, and purple flowers in late spring or summer. Flowers appear in groups of up to five usually on the ends of branches formed in the same year's growth.

<i>Eremaea beaufortioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea beaufortioides is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with oval to egg-shaped leaves, and orange flowers in spring. Flowers appear in groups of one to six on the ends of long branches formed in the previous year.

<i>Eremaea blackwelliana</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Eremaea brevifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea brevifolia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, compact to spreading shrub with small, crowded leaves and orange-coloured flowers in early spring, followed by fruits with a rough outer surface.

<i>Eremaea <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> codonocarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea × codonocarpa is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is thought to be a stabilised hybrid between two subspecies of Eremaea. It is a small shrub with triangular leaves and flowers a shade of pink to purple on the ends of the branches.

Eremaea dendroidea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small tree with small leaves and orange-coloured flowers on the ends of the branches in September. It has the most northerly distribution of all the eremaeas.

<i>Eremaea ectadioclada</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea ectadioclada is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with small leaves, and orange-coloured flowers on the ends of the long branches which grew in the previous year.

Eremaea hadra is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with thin, flat and very prickly leaves. It has violet-coloured flowers on the ends of its branches in late spring followed by smooth, cup-shaped fruits.

Eremaea × phoenicea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is thought to be a stabilised hybrid between two subspecies of Eremaea. It is an erect to spreading shrub with pointed, elliptic leaves and small groups of flowers, a shade of pink to red, on the ends of the branches.

<i>Eremaea purpurea</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea purpurea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with erect branches, small leaves and purple flowers in pairs on the ends of the branches. The fruits are woody, cup-shaped capsules which release their seeds when dry.

<i>Eremaea violacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea violacea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is low, spreading shrub with narrow, prickly leaves and which bears violet-coloured flowers on short side branches.

<i>Phymatocarpus maxwellii</i> Species of flowering plant

Phymatocarpus maxwellii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It resembles many small species of Melaleuca, mainly differing in the way its anthers are attached at the top of the stamens. In Phymatocarpus they are attached at their base and open at the other end through two slits. It is a shrub with many small heads of pink to purple flowers, often covering the plant for several weeks in October.

Thryptomene elliottii is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to southern central Australia. It is a shrub with decussate, egg-shaped to club-shaped leaves and pink or white flowers with five petals and five stamens.

<i>Hibbertia spicata</i> Species of flowering plant

Hibbertia spicata is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to the west of Western Australia. It is a low, erect to spreading shrub with scattered linear leaves with the edges rolled under and yellow flowers with six or seven stamens on one side of two softly-hairy carpels, and a larger number of staminodes.

<i>Pimelea spiculigera</i> Species of shrub

Pimelea spiculigera is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with linear to narrowly egg-shaped leaves and heads of yellow or greenish-yellow flowers surrounded by 2 or 4 egg-shaped involucral bracts.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eremaea ebracteata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hnatiuk, Roger J. (1998). "A revision of the genus Eremaea (Myrtaceae)". Nuytsia. 9 (2): 190–194. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  3. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1860). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (Volume 2). Melbourne. pp. 29–30. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  4. "Eremaea ebracteata". APNI. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  5. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 189. ISBN   9780958034180.
  6. "Eremaea ebracteata var. ebracteata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  7. "Eremaea ebracteata var. brachyphylla". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Eremaea ebracteata". FloraBase. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  9. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 362. ISBN   0646402439.