Agonis

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Agonis
Agonis flexuosa.jpg
Flowers of A. flexuosa
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Tribe: Leptospermeae
Genus: Agonis
(DC.) Sweet
Synonyms [1]

Agonis is a genus in the plant family Myrtaceae. All are endemic to Western Australia, growing near the coast in the south west.

Contents

Description

Only one, Agonis flexuosa , grows to tree size; the others generally grow as tall shrubs.

Agonis formerly contained a number of other species, but the genus was recently split, with the majority moved to Taxandria . The species Agonis grandiflora was segregated to a monotypic genus, Paragonis . [2]

Agonis species generally have fibrous, brown bark, dull green leaves and inflorescences of small, white flowers. They are best known and most readily identified by the powerful odour of peppermint emitted when the leaves are crushed or torn, though some plants in fact emit an overpowering smell of eucalyptus.

Species

The name Agonis derives from the Greek agon, meaning gathering or collection, in reference to the tightly clustered flowers.

Agonis is the food plant of the moth Aenetus dulcis .

As with many Australian natives, great care must be taken when transplanting to avoid stressing, straining or jarring the area where the trunk meets the root ball.

Related Research Articles

<i>Eucalyptus diversicolor</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cream-coloured, often mottled bark, lance-shaped adult leaves and barrel-shaped fruit. Found in higher rainfall areas, karri is commercially important for its timber.

<i>Agonis flexuosa</i> Species of tree

Agonis flexuosa is a species of tree that grows in the south west of Western Australia. It is easily the most common of the Agonis species, and is one of the most recognisable trees of Western Australia, being commonly grown in parks and on road verges in Perth.

<i>Banksia seminuda</i> Species of tree in the family Proteaceae found in south west Western Australia

Banksia seminuda, commonly known as the river banksia, is a tree in the plant genus Banksia. It is found in south west Western Australia from Dwellingup (32°42′ S) to the Broke Inlet east of Denmark (34°57′ S). It is often mistaken for, and was originally considered a subspecies of, the Banksia littoralis. Stephen Hopper described the subspecies remanens as a short-leaved shrubby form found in the coastal sands below granite outcrops in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park, however George does not feel this form warrants taxonomic recognition as it lies within the normal variability of the species and there was no clear distinction between it and the other populations of B. seminuda.

<i>Eucalyptus gomphocephala</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus gomphocephala, known as tuart, is a species of tree, one of the six forest giants of Southwest Australia. Tuart forest was common on the Swan coastal plain, until the valuable trees were felled for export and displaced by the urban development around Perth, Western Australia. The wood is dense, hard, water resistant and resists splintering, and found many uses when it was available. Remnants of tuart forest occur in state reserves and parks, the tree has occasionally been introduced to other regions of Australia and overseas. Remaining trees are vulnerable to phytophthora dieback, an often fatal disorder, including a previously unknown species discovered during analysis of dead specimens.

<i>Taxandria juniperina</i> Species of tree

Taxandria juniperina commonly known as wattie, native cedar, Warren River cedar or juniper myrtle is a species of tree that grows in the south west corner of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis juniperina but is now part of the genus Taxandria. The Noongar peoples know the tree as watti.

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

Taxandria is a group of plants in the family Myrtaceae described as a genus in 2007. The entire genus is endemic to Western Australia, growing near the coast in the South West corner of the State.

Western ringtail possum Species of marsupial

The western ringtail possum or ngwayir refers to a species of possum, Pseudocheirus occidentalis, found in a small area of Southwest Australia. They are a cat-sized marsupial with a stocky build, dark greyish-brown fur, pale underparts and a long prehensile tail with a whitish tip. Ngwayir forage at night through the upper canopy of trees, feeding on young leaves, flowers and fruit, especially in groves of the weeping peppermint Agonis flexuosa. Breeding occurs mainly during the winter, the single juvenile emerging from the pouch after about three months. The population has declined by more than 95% since British settlement, due to clearing of habitat, fire and the introduction of the red fox Vulpes vulpes, and is classified as Critically Endangered. The population in most areas has catastrophically declined or become locally extinct, but strongholds remain in the urbanised areas near Busselton and Albany.

<i>Taxandria marginata</i> Species of tree

Taxandria marginata is a species of shrub that grows in the south west corner of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis marginata but was reclassified by Wheeler and Marchant into the new genus Taxandria in a 2007 revision.

<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>Persoonia muelleri</i> Species of shrub

Persoonia muelleri, commonly known as Mueller’s geebung, is a shrub endemic to Tasmania. It forms a shrub in open areas of wet forests in the west and northeast of the state. It is occasionally confused with P. gunnii though it has larger flowers and longer, straighter leaves.

<i>Paragonis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Paragonis grandiflora is a plant species, endemic to the southwest of Western Australia.

Agonis baxteri is a shrub that is native to Western Australia.

Taxandria angustifolia is a species of tree that grows on the south coast of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis angustifolia but is now part of the Taxandria genus.

<i>Taxandria parviceps</i> Species of tree

Taxandria parviceps, commonly known as tea tree, is a shrub species that grows on the south west coast of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis parviceps but is now part of the Taxandria genus.

<i>Taxandria spathulata</i> Species of tree

Taxandria spathulata is a shrub species that grows along the southern coast of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis spathulata but is now part of the Taxandria genus.

<i>Taxandria linearifolia</i> Species of tree

Taxandria linearifolia, also known as the swamp peppermint or the coarse teatree, is a small tree or shrub species that grows along south west coastal areas of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis linearifolia but is now part of the Taxandria genus.

Taxandria floribunda is a small tree or shrub species that is endemic to an area in southern Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis floribunda but is now part of the Taxandria genus.

Taxandria callistachys is a shrub species that is endemic to an area in southern Western Australia.

Taxandria fragrans is a shrub species that is endemic to an area in south western Western Australia.

<i>Taxandria inundata</i> Species of tree

Taxandria inundata is a species of shrub in the Myrtaceae family that is endemic to an area along the south western coast of Western Australia.

References

  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Wheeler, J.R. & Marchant, N.G., (2007) A revision of the Western Australian genus Agonis (Myrtaceae) and two new segregate genera Taxandria and Paragonis. Nuytsia 16(2): 406-407