''Agonis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in the plant family

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

. All are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, growing near the coast in the

south west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Description

Only one, ''

Agonis flexuosa ''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 an ...

'', grows to tree size; the others generally grow as tall

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s. ''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''.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 ''Agonis'' species generally have fibrous, brown bark, dull green leaves and

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s of small, white

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s. They are best known and most readily identified by the powerful odour of

peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantbas ...

emitted when the leaves are crushed or torn, though some plants in fact emit an overpowering smell of eucalyptus.

Species

* ''

Agonis baxteri ''Agonis baxteri'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, sometimes bushy shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, a ...

'' * ''

'' Western Australian peppermint, Swan River peppermint, or willow myrtle is the most well-known ''Agonis'', being a common tree in parks and road verges in southern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. ** ''Agonis flexuosa'' var. ''flexuosa'' ** ''A. f.'' var. ''latifolia'' * '' A. fragrans'' * '' A. theiformis'' * '' A. undulata'' 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 Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

Aenetus dulcis ''Aenetus dulcis'' is a moth of the family Hepialidae first described by Charles Swinhoe in 1892. It is known from Western Australia. The wingspan is about 110 mm. The larvae feed on ''Agonis flexuosa ''Agonis flexuosa'' is a species o ...

''. 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.

References

* * . * . * . Myrtaceae genera Trees of Australia Endemic flora of Southwest Australia {{Australia-rosid-stub