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Thryptomene ericaea

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Species of shrub

Thryptomene ericaea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Thryptomene
Species: T. ericaea
Binomial name
Thryptomene ericaea
F.Muell.

Thryptomene ericaea is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a shrub with narrow elliptic leaves and white flowers with five petals and five stamens.

Description

Thryptomene ericaea is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5–1.2 m (1 ft 8 in – 3 ft 11 in). Its leaves are narrow elliptic with a pointed tip, about 6 mm (0.24 in) long, 1 mm (0.039 in) wide and sessile. Each flower is on a peduncle 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long and has a ribbed, more or less cylindrical floral cup. The flowers have five white, egg-shaped sepals and petals, all about 1 mm (0.039 in) long and there are five stamens opposite the sepals. Flowering occurs from September to December.

Taxonomy

Thryptomene ericaea was first formally described in 1858 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by "Bannier" on Kangaroo Island. The specific epithet (ericaea) refers to a resemblance of this species to plants in the genus Erica.

Distribution

This thryptomene occurs in South Australia, on Kangaroo Island and to a lesser extent on the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas.

Cultivation

A cultivar of T. ericaea known as 'Centenary Starburst' was chosen as South Australia's floral emblem for the Centenary of Federation (1901–2001). This cultivar has commercial potential for the cut flower industry but the species is difficult to propagate. Research on inducing root formation in tissue culture has been conducted.

References

  1. "Thryptomene ericaea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Thryptomene ericaea". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. "Thryptomene ericaea". APNI. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  4. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1858). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 1. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 12. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780958034180.
  6. "Federation Flower for South Australia". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. Ainsley, Phillip J.; Lee, T.C. (2010). "A method to induce adventitious rooting in microshoot cultures of Thryptomene ericaea (Myrtaceae)" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 24: 7–9. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
Taxon identifiers
Thryptomene ericaea
Thryptomene ericaea ‘Centenary Starburst’
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