''Baeckea utilis'', commonly known as mountain baeckea, is a species of flowering plant in the 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 ...

and is

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 ...

to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a shrub with elliptic to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and white flowers, usually with eight

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

Description

''Baeckea utilis'' is a slender, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of up to and has wiry stems. The leaves are elliptic to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole about long. The flowers are up to wide and arranged singly in leaf axils on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long with linear bracteoles long but that fall as the flowers open. The five

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are oblong, long and the five petals are white, more or less round and long. There are usually eight stamens and the style is about long. Flowering mainly occurs from December to March and the fruit is hemispherical, long and wide.

Taxonomy

''Baeckea utilis'' was first formally described in 1856 by

Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (24 October 1811 – 23 January 1871) was a Dutch botanist, whose main focus of study was on the flora of the Dutch East Indies. Early life Miquel was born in Neuenhaus and studied medicine at the University of Groni ...

in '' Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'' from an unpublished description by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

. The specific epithet (''utilis'') means "useful".

Distribution and habitat

Mountain baeckea grows in heath, forest or alpine

herbfield Herbfields are plant communities dominated by herbaceous plants, especially forbs and grasses. They are found where climatic conditions do not allow large woody plants to grow, such as in subantarctic and alpine tundra environments. Herbfield is ...

s and is common at higher altitudes south from Dorrigo in New South Wales, through the Australian Capital Territory to eastern Victoria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15396183 Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Australian Capital Territory Flora of Victoria (state) utilis Plants described in 1856 Taxa named by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel