''Homoranthus elusus'' is a 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 a small area on the
Northern Tablelands of
New South Wales. It is an shrub with linear leaves and with groups of up to four flowers in leaf
axil
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
s. It is only known from a single specimen collected near
Tenterfield.
Description
An erect shrub with 2-4 flowers held erect in leaf axils at branchlet apex. Flowers in July and August.
Taxonomy and naming
''Homoranthus elusus'' was first formally described in 2011 by
Lachlan Copeland,
Lyndley Craven and
Jeremy Bruhl from a specimen collected on Bluff Rock near Tenterfield in 2002 and the description was published in ''
Australian Systematic Botany''.
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 ...
(''elusus'') is a
Latin word meaning "avoid", "evade", "frustrate" or "baffle",
referring to the unsuccessful attempts by the authors to locate the species.
Distribution and habitat
Known from a single collection from
Bluff Rock south of
Tenterfield New South Wales. May grow in scrub and heath patches.
Conservation status
Known from a single specimen collected in 1992. Briggs and Leigh (1996) conservation code 1E. IUCN (2010) should be considered 'Critically Endangered'.
References
External links
The Australasian Virtual Herbarium – Occurrence data for ''Homoranthus elusus''
{{Taxonbar, from= Q56281313
Flora of New South Wales
Myrtales of Australia
elusus
Plants described in 2011