Melichrus hirsutus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Melichrus |
Species: | M. hirsutus |
Binomial name | |
Melichrus hirsutus | |
Melichrus hirsutus, commonly known as hairy melichrus, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to a restricted part of eastern Australia. It is a shrub with many stems at the base, ascending, lance-shaped, hairy, sharply-pointed leaves, pink, tube-shaped flowers and fleshy, spherical, reddish-purple drupes.
Melichrus hirsutus is a shrub with many stems at its base, and that typically grows to a height of 20–70 cm (7.9–27.6 in). Its leaves are ascending, lance-shaped, hairy, sharply-pointed, mostly 16.9–22.5 mm (0.67–0.89 in) long and 2.0–3.5 mm (0.079–0.138 in) wide on a broad, compressed petiole 0.5–1.1 mm (0.020–0.043 in) wide, with 9 to 11 obvious, parallel veins. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils, with nine to eleven strongly overlapping green and pinkish bracts up to 4.2–4.9 mm (0.17–0.19 in) long. The five sepals are papery, overlapping, lance-shaped, 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long, green and pink. The petals are red and pink, form a cup-shaped tube 2.8–3.0 mm (0.11–0.12 in) long and 3.8–4.0 mm (0.15–0.16 in) wide with widely egg-shaped lobes 2.5–2.8 mm (0.098–0.110 in) long and 2.0–2.3 mm (0.079–0.091 in) wide. Flowering occurs from March to August, and the fruit is a fleshy, reddish-purple, spherical drupe 3.8–8 mm (0.15–0.31 in) in diameter. [3] [2] [4]
Melichrus hirsutus was first formally described in 2020 by Helen T. Kennedy and Ian Telford in the journal Telopea from an unpublished description by John Beaumont Williams. [3] [5] The specific epithet (hirsutus) means covered with fairly coarse and stiff, long, erect, or ascending straight hairs. [3] [6]
This species of Melichrus grows in forest on poor, sandy soils, in three nature reserves, north of Glenreagh in eastern New South Wales. [3] [2]
Melichrus hirsutus is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 , and as "endangered" under the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 . [2] [4]
Cryptocarya williwilliana, commonly known as small-leaved laurel, is a species of flowering plant in the laurel family and is endemic to near Kempsey in northern New South Wales. It is a tree or shrub with egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaves, the flowers creamy-green and perfumed, and the fruit a spherical to elliptic, black drupe.
Melichrus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. Plants in the genus Melichrus are shrubs with narrowly egg-shaped leaves crowded at the ends of branches and bell-shaped or urn-shaped flowers arranged singly in leaf bases, the fruit a drupe.
Acrotriche divaricata is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a bushy shrub with sharply-pointed lance-shaped leaves and spikes of 3 to 5 green or cream-coloured flowers and spherical, red drupes.
Lissanthe strigosa, commonly known as peach heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves and white to pink, cylindrical flowers.
Persoonia cuspidifera is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with spatula-shaped leaves and greenish yellow, tube-shaped flowers in groups of up to twenty-five.
Brachyloma saxicola is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It is a erect, bushy shrub with lance-shaped or narrowly elliptic leaves and white to cream-coloured, tube-shaped flowers.
Styphelia nesophila, commonly known as sharp beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is native to south-eastern Australia and New Zealand, where it is known as pātōtara, or dwarf mingimingi. It is a prickly, prostrate to trailing or low-growing shrub with egg-shaped leaves, and erect, tube-shaped white flowers usually arranged singly in leaf axils.
Epacris gnidioides, commonly known as Budawangs cliff-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a small, creeping shrub with hairy branches, sharply-pointed lance-shaped leaves, and tube-shaped, white flowers. Originally described as Rupicola gnidioides, it was at one time regarded as the only species in the genus Budawangia under the synonym Budawangia gnidioides.
Epacris decumbens is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a straggling, low-lying shrub with hairy branchlets, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, and tube-shaped, white flowers.
Epacris pilosa is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is low-lying shrub with weeping, shaggy-hairy branchlets, elliptic to more or less egg-shaped leaves and white or cream-coloured tube-shaped flowers.
Sprengelia montana is a species of flowering plant of the family Ericaceae, and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small, erect shrub with overlapping, stem-clasping, egg-shaped leaves, and pink flowers, sometimes in groups of up to 10 on the ends of branches.
Leucopogon gelidus is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is native to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a slender, compact shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, and spikes of drooping, tube-shaped white flowers.
Acrotriche affinis, commonly known as ridged ground-berry or prickly honeypots, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, and is endemic to south-eastern, continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with many branches, lance-shaped leaves, and spikes of tube-shaped, greenish flowers, and white, spherical drupes.
Acrotriche fasciculiflora, commonly known as pink ground-berry, is a flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is a rigid shrub with lance-shaped leaves, pale pink flowers and flattened spherical, pink fruit.
Acrotriche halmaturina, commonly known as Kangaroo Island ground-berry, is a flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is a shrub with egg-shaped leaves, curved flowers near ground level with tube-shaped petals, and spherical fruit.
Acrotriche lancifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, widely branching shrub, with usually narrowly egg-shaped, sharply-pointed leaves, green or yellowish-green, tube-shaped flowers, and flattened spherical drupes.
Acrotriche leucocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with sharply-pointed lance-shaped leaves and spikes of 3 to 5 green, tube-shaped flowers and spherical to oval, translucent white drupes.
Acrotriche prostrata, commonly known as trailing ground-berry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to Victoria. It is a trailing shrub with prostrate stems, widely spreading, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves and spikes of 5 to 14 light green flowers and spherical, green drupes.
Melichrus erubescens, commonly known as ruby urn-heath, 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.
Melichrus gibberagee, commonly known as narrow-leaf melichrus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to a restricted part of eastern Australia. It is a small shrub with compact, narrow, more or less erect, sharply-pointed leaves, white or yellowish flowers and more or less spherical, red drupes.