Kunzea acuminata

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Kunzea acuminata
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Kunzea
Species:
K. acuminata
Binomial name
Kunzea acuminata

Kunzea acuminata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia where it has a restricted distribution. It is a shrub with a few spindly branches, silky leaves and spherical groups of pink flowers on the ends of the branches.

Contents

Description

Kunzea acuminata is a shrub which grows to a height of up to 2 m (7 ft), with a few spindly branches covered with long silky hairs when young. The leaf stalk is 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) long and the leaf blade is linear to lance-shaped, 6–7.5 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The leaves have long, silky hairs along their margins. The flowers are arranged in roughly spherical heads containing eight to fifteen flowers on the ends of the branches which continue to grow after flowering. The flowers are surrounded by silky bracts 6–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) and bracteoles 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long. The five sepals are egg-shaped, about 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) and silky-hairy and the five petals are 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) long and pink. There are about fifty stamens about 4.5 mm (0.2 in) long. Flowering occurs in September. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1996 by Hellmut Toelken and the description was published in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden . [1] The specific epithet (acuminata) is a Latin word meaning "pointed" or "sharpened". [3]

Distribution and habitat

This kunzea is only known from an area east of Israelite Bay where it grows in sandy soil over granite. [2] [4] [5]

Conservation

Kunzea acuminata is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [4]

Related Research Articles

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Kunzea acicularis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with a few erect stems, small and groups of three to five, pink to mauve flowers. It is a rare, recently described species only known from a small area near Ravensthorpe.

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<i>Kunzea ciliata</i> Species of shrub

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Kunzea cincinnata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area on the south coast of Western Australia. It is a shrub which typically grows to a height of 0.6 to 1 metre and blooms between September and October producing pink to red-purple flowers.

<i>Kunzea clavata</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea clavata, commonly known as the Torbay spearwood, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area on the south coast of Western Australia. It is a shrub or tree, typically with many branches and grows to a height of 2.5 to 4 metres. It blooms between September and October producing yellow flowers.

<i>Kunzea newbeyi</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Kunzea rostrata</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea rostrata is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area along the south west coast of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small, mostly elliptic leaves and with groups of between mostly eleven and fifteen rose pink flowers mainly on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering.

<i>Kunzea similis</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea similis is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area along the south coast of Western Australia. It is a shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves with a single vein, and spherical groups of between four and ten pink flowers on the ends of shoots.

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

Kunzea pauciflora, the Mount Melville kunzea, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to a small area on the south coast of Western Australia. It is a shrub with the stems densely branched near their ends, linear leaves and one, two or three pink flowers near the ends of the branches but usually only at the top of the shrub.

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<i>Kunzea spathulata</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea spathulata is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south west of Western Australia. It is a tall shrub with erect, much-branched stems, linear leaves and more or less spherical groups of yellow or yellowish green flowers.

Kunzea aristulata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is an erect, spreading shrub similar to Kunzea rupestris but is distinguished from it mainly by the shape of its leaves. It is only known from a remote area north of Yerranderie where it often grows on cliff edges.

Kunzea axillaris is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is an erect shrub or tree with linear leaves and white flowers which are arranged singly in leaf axils. It is only known from the ranges on the north coast.

<i>Kunzea obovata</i> Species of shrub

Kunzea obovata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a spreading shrub with unusually-shaped leaves and clusters of pink to purple flowers. It is restricted to northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland.

<i>Kunzea badjaensis</i> Species of shrub

Kunzea badjaensis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is a shrub with egg-shaped leaves and clusters of white flowers near the end of the branches. It grows at high altitudes on the Southern Tablelands.

<i>Kunzea occidentalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea occidentalis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a western New South Wales. It is a shrub with narrow leaves and small groups of white flowers on leafy side-branches. It is distinguished from the similar Kunzea ambigua by the flanges on the sides of its young branches.

Kunzea petrophila is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the Northern Territory. It is a spreading shrub with hairy branches and leaves, narrow leaves and cream-coloured flowers in more or less spherical groups usually on the ends of the main branches.

Kunzea sericothrix is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a small shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves. It is only known from a single collection, and the details of its flowers are provisional.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kunzea acuminata". APNI. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 Toelken, Hellmut (1996). "A Revision of the Genus Kunzea (Myrtaceae) I. The Western Australian section Zeanuk". Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. 17: 88–90.
  3. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 68.
  4. 1 2 "Kunzea acuminata". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  5. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 388. ISBN   0646402439.