''Calytrix decussata'' is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle 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 to the Northern Territory. It is a shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves and pinkish-mauve flowers arranged singly or in scatter groups with about 45 to 50 white

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 ...

s that become reddish-purple as the flower ages.

Description

''Calytrix decussata'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of up to . Its leaves are

decussate Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...

, linear to lance-shaped and covered with matted hairs, long, wide and sessile. There is a stipule up to long at the base of the leaves. The flowers are arranged singly or in small groups scattered along the branches. The floral tube has 10 ribs and is long. The sepals are joined at the base, with more or less round to egg-shaped lobes, long and wide with an

awn AWN may stand for: * Awn Access to Justice Network in Gaza Strip, Legal Aid Network operate in Gaza Strip, Palestine * Animation World Network, an online organization for animators * Avant Window Navigator, a dock-like bar that tracks open windows ...

up to long. The petals are pinkish-mauve at first, and white at the base, elliptic, long and wide, later becoming deep purplish-mauve. There are about 40 to 50 white stamens in 2 rows, that become reddish purple as the flower ages.

Taxonomy

''Calytrix decussata'' was first formally described in 1987 by Lyndley Craven in the journal ''

Brunonia ''Brunonia australis'', commonly known as the blue pincushion or native cornflower, is a perennial or annual herb that grows widely across Australia. It is found in woodlands, open forest and sand plains. In Cronquist's classification scheme ...

'' from specimens collected near the UDP Falls in 1973. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''decussata'') means 'decussate'.

Distribution and habitat

This starflower grows on shallow sand over sandstone in heathy scrub, spinifex and woodland, in the Arnhem Plateau and Pine Creek bioregions in the north of the Northern Territory.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15399413 Plants described in 1987 decussata Flora of the Northern Territory Taxa named by Lyndley Craven