Leptospermum inelegans

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Leptospermum inelegans
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Leptospermum
Species:
L. inelegans
Binomial name
Leptospermum inelegans
Leptospermum inelegansDistA29.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Leptospermum inelegans is a species of straggly shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has only partly hairy young stems, egg-shaped to narrow elliptical leaves on a short petiole, relatively small white or pink flowers and fruit that fall from the plant when mature.

Contents

Description

Leptospermum inelegans is a straggly shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in–6 ft 7 in) with thin, rough bark on the older branches and younger stems that are only partly hairy. The leaves are egg shaped to narrow elliptical, mostly 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide. The flowers are white or pink, 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) wide and are usually borne singly on short side shoots. The floral cup is 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long and is covered with flattened silky hairs on a pedicel up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The sepals are triangular, about 2 mm (0.079 in) long, the petals about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and the stamens less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from September to November and the fruit is a capsule 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long with the remains of the sepals attached, but that falls from the plant after the release of the seeds. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Leptospermum inelegans was first formally described in 1989 by Joy Thompson in the journal Telopea from specimens collected by Roger Hnatiuk. [3] [4] The specific epithet (inelegans) is a Latin word meaning "not choice" or "tasteless", referring to the usual habit of this species. [3] [5]

Distribution and habitat

This tea-tree is usually found in scrub or heath on hills and undulating plains and occurs in parts of the Coolgardie, Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions. [3] [2]

Conservation status

Leptospermum inelegans is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Leptospermum continentale</i> Species of plant

Leptospermum continentale, commonly known as prickly tea-tree, is a species of slender, straggling shrub that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has sharp-pointed, narrowly egg-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged singly in leaf axils and woody fruit that remains on the plant when mature.

<i>Leptospermum erubescens</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum erubescens, commonly known as the roadside tea tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to southwest of Western Australia. It has thin, fibrous bark, egg-shaped leaves, small white flowers and woody fruit.

<i>Leptospermum incanum</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum incanum is a species of compact shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has hairy young stems, elongated egg-shaped leaves on a short petiole, relatively large white or pink flowers and fruit that fall from the plant when mature.

<i>Leptospermum oligandrum</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum oligandrum is a species of erect, spreading shrub that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has broadly egg-shaped to wedge-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to three on the ends of short side branches and fruit that fall from the plant shortly after the seeds are released.

Leptospermum roei is a species of spreading shrub that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has thin, fibrous bark, long egg-shaped to narrow wedge-shaped leaves, white or pink flowers and small fruit that are shed with the seeds.

Leptospermum sericeum, commonly known as the silver tea tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has thin, firm bark, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, relatively large, pink flowers and fruit that fall from the plant with the seeds. It grows in windswept rock crevices near Esperance.

Leptospermum subtenue is a species of small shrub in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has thick, elliptical, concave leaves, white or pink flowers and fruit that falls from the plant when mature. It occurs to the south of Kalgoorlie.

<i>Leptospermum parvifolium</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum parvifolium, commonly known as lemon-scented tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has thin, rough bark, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, white or pink flowers, and fruit with the remains of the sepals attached but that is shed when the seeds are mature.

<i>Leptospermum deanei</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum deanei, commonly known as Deane's tea-tree, is a species of rare, slender shrub that is endemic to the northern suburbs of Sydney. It has bark peeling in long strips from the older stems, hairy young stems, narrow elliptical to lance-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged singly on short side shoots and mostly glabrous fruit.

<i>Leptospermum argenteum</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum argenteum, commonly known as the Mt Royal tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to the higher parts of Barrington Tops in New South Wales. It has smooth bark, stems with a flange along the sides, broad leaves, white flowers and unlike many others in the genus, it is never lemon-scented.

<i>Leptospermum blakelyi</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum blakelyi is a species of shrub that is endemic to rocky clifftops near Lithgow in New South Wales. It has densely silky young stems, egg-shaped to elliptical leaves and white or pink flowers.

<i>Leptospermum brevipes</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum brevipes, commonly known as the slender tea-tree, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has fibrous bark on the main stems, smooth bark on young stems, narrow elliptical to narrow egg-shaped leaves, white flowers and hemispherical fruit that is shed when mature.

<i>Leptospermum divaricatum</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum divaricatum is a species of plant that is endemic to inland New South Wales. It is an erect or weeping shrub with compact fibrous bark, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged singly on short axillary side shoots and woody fruit that fall off when mature.

<i>Leptospermum glabrescens</i> Species of plant

Leptospermum glabrescens, commonly known as the smooth teatree, is a shrub or small tree that is endemic to East Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. It has linear, elliptic or narrow egg-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged singly on short side shoots and fruit that remain on the plant.

<i>Leptospermum lamellatum</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum lamellatum is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to inland Queensland and has distinctive reddish, layered bark. It has narrow elliptical leaves, white flowers and small fruit that fall from the plant when mature.

<i>Leptospermum myrtifolium</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum myrtifolium, commonly known as the myrtle tea-tree or grey tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to south eastern Australia. It has broad egg-shaped to elliptical leaves, white flowers usually borne singly on short side shoots, and fruit that remains on the plant until it dies.

<i>Leptospermum neglectum</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum neglectum is a shrub or small tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has elliptical leaves that are silky-hairy at first, white flowers on short shoots in leaf axils and fruit with the remnants of the sepals attached but that fall from the plant shortly after the seeds are released.

Leptospermum polyanthum is a rigid, spreading shrub or small tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It has thin, rough bark, young stems that are hairy at first, elliptical leaves, relatively small white flowers and fruit are shed when the seeds are mature.

<i>Leptospermum purpurascens</i> Species of shrub

Leptospermum purpurascens, commonly known as the purple-stemmed turkey bush, is a shrub or small tree that is endemic to far north Queensland. It has bark that is purple when new, elliptical to broadly lance-shaped leaves, relatively small white flowers arranged in pairs and small fruit that falls from the plants when the seeds are released.

<i>Leptospermum sericatum</i> Species of plant

Leptospermum sericatum is a species of erect shrub that is endemic to Queensland. It has thin, firm bark, narrow egg-shaped to elliptical leaves, white or pink flowers arranged usually singly on side shoots and fruit that falls from the plant when the seeds are released.

References

  1. "Leptospermum inelegans". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Leptospermum inelegans". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, Joy (1989). "A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae)". Telopea. 3 (3): 376–377.
  4. "Leptospermum inelegans". APNI. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 224. ISBN   9780958034180.