''Homoranthus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of about thirty species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and 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 else ...

to Australia. Plants in this genus share similarities with those in both '' Darwinia'' and '' Verticordia''. They are shrubs with their leaves arranged in opposite pairs and with flowers appearing either singly or in small groups, usually in upper leaf axils. They are found in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The genus was first described in 1836. None of the species is common nor are they well-known in

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

Description

Plants in the genus ''Homoranthus'' are shrubs with their leaves arranged in opposite pairs, at right angles to the ones above and below ( decussate) so that the leaves are in four rows along the stems. They are linear to cylindrical in shape, sometimes thicker than wide. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to four in the upper leaf axils. There are 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 coine ...

s and five petals which are enclosed in two

bracteoles In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

before the flower opens, and which surround the base of the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

. There are ten stamens alternating with ten staminodes. The style extends beyond the petals and has a ring of hairs below its tip. The fruit is a capsule containing one or two seeds. The Australian botanist Norman Byrnes has noted that ''Homoranthus'' "is not a clearly defined natural group but is more a genus of convenience between '' Darwinia'' and '' Verticordia''.jstor
/ref> In 1869,

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

wrote "Its retention s a separate genusmay, however, be justified as facilitating the distinction between ''Darwinia'' and ''Verticordia''".

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Homoranthus'' was first formally described in 1836 by

Johannes Conrad Schauer Johannes Conrad Schauer (16 February 1813 – 24 October 1848) was a botanist interested in Spermatophytes. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and attended the gymnasium of Mainz from 1825 to 1837. For the next three years he worked at the Hofgar ...

after an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham. Schauer's description was published in ''Linnaea: ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange, oder Beiträge zur Pflanzenkunde''.Tropicos, ''Homoranthus'' A. Cunn. ex Schauer
/ref> The genus name (''Homoranthus'') is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

words ''homos'' meaning "same", "uniform", "like" or "similar" and ''anthos'' meaning "flower".

Species

The following is a list of species accepted by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

as at January 2020: {{columns-list, colwidth=30em, *'' Homoranthus bebo'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus biflorus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus binghiensis'' J.T.Hunter. (N.S.W) *'' Homoranthus brevistylis'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus bruhlii'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus cernuus ''Homoranthus cernuus'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the Wollemi National Park. It is a slender shrub with smooth, linear shaped leaves and pairs of pendulous cream-coloured flowers with a pinkis ...

'' (R.T.Baker) Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus clarksonii'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus coracinus'' A.R.Bean (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus croftianus ''Homoranthus croftianus'', commonly known as Bolivia homoranthus, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area near Bolivia in northern New South Wales. It is an upright shrub with pointed leaves arranged in altern ...

'' J.T.Hunter (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus cummingii'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus darwinioides'' (Maiden & Betche) Cheel (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus decasetus'' Byrnes (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus decumbens'' (Byrnes) Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus elusus'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus flavescens'' A.Cunn. ex Schauer (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus floydii'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus homoranthoides'' (F.Muell.) Craven & S.R.Jones (S.A.) *'' Homoranthus inopinatus'' L.M.Copel., J.Holmes & G.Holmes (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus lunatus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus melanostictus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus montanus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus papillatus'' Byrnes (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus porteri'' (C.T.White) Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus prolixus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus thomasii'' (F.Muell.) Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus tricolor'' A.R.Bean (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus tropicus'' Byrnes (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus vagans'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus virgatus'' A.Cunn. ex Schauer (N.S.W., Qld.) *'' Homoranthus wilhelmii'' (F.Muell.) Cheel (S.A.) *'' Homoranthus zeteticorum'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.)

References

{{Reflist, refs= Cunningham, A. (1836), Genera Chamaelauciearum Nova Quaedam. Linnaea: ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange, oder Beiträge zur Pflanzenkunde 10: 310

Description

Taxonomy and naming

Species

References

Further reading