Thryptomene johnsonii

Thryptomene johnsonii

Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Thryptomene
Species:
T. johnsonii
Binomial name
Thryptomene johnsonii

Thryptomene johnsonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of Western Australia. It is a bushy shrub with rigid branches, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and pink flowers with five petals and usually eight stamens.

Description

Thryptomene johnsonii is a bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and has rigid branches. Its leaves are mostly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 1.7–3.4 mm (0.067–0.134 in) long and about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide on a petiole 0.4–0.5 mm (0.016–0.020 in) long. The flowers are usually arranged singly in leaf axils in pairs of up to four near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a peduncle 0.4–0.7 mm (0.016–0.028 in) long with egg-shaped bracteoles 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) long. The flowers are 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) in diameter with five broadly egg-shaped sepals and five more or less round, pink petals about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long. There are usually eight, irregularly arranged stamens. Flowering has been observed in October.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Thryptomene johnsonii was first formally described in 1864 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected near the Murchison River.[4][5] The specific epithet (johnsonii) honours William Johnson (1825–1887) who studied the medicinal properties of the Myrtaceae.[6]

Distribution and habitat

This thryptomene grows in sand on a sandplain slope in the Kalbarri National Park.[2][3]

Conservation status

Thryptomene johnsonii is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[2] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Thryptomene johnsonii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Thryptomene johnsonii". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. ^ a b Rye, Barbara L.; Trudgen, Malcolm E. (2001). "A taxonomic revision of Thryptomene section Thryptomene (Myrtaceae)". Nuytsia. 13 (3): 522–523. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Thryptomene johnsonii". APNI. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1875). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 4. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 77. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  6. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 229. ISBN 9780958034180.
  7. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 4 May 2021.