''Homoranthus'' is a genus of about thirty species of plants 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 all are endemic to

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 ...

. Plants in this genus share similarities with those in both ''

Darwinia Darwinia may refer to: * ''Darwinia'' (plant) Rudge 1815, a genus of Myrtaceae found only in Australia *''Darwinia'' Raf., a synonym of the legume genus ''Sesbania'' Adans. * ''Darwinia'' (video game), a 2005 video game by Introversion Software * '' ...

'' and ''

Verticordia :For the clam genus, see ''Verticordia'' (bivalve). ''Verticordia'' is a genus of more than 100 species of plants commonly known as featherflowers, in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. They range in form from very small shrubs such as '' V. vertico ...

''. 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 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 ...

. They are found in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. The genus was first described in 1836. None of the species is common nor are they well-known in horticulture.

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 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 ...

) 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 sepals and five

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s which are enclosed in two bracteoles before the flower opens, and which surround the base of the style. There are ten

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 alternating with ten

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...

s. 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 ''

'' and ''

''.jstor
/ref> In 1869, George Bentham wrote "Its retention

s a separate genus S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...

may, 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 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 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 as at January 2020: {{columns-list, colwidth=30em, *''

Homoranthus bebo ''Homoranthus bebo'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to a small area in northern New South Wales. It is a low-lying shrub with leaves that are usually flat and with groups of up to ten yellow flowers. It is ...

'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus biflorus ''Homoranthus biflorus'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in northern New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with cylinder-shaped leaves and small groups of usually yellow flowers. Description ''Homora ...

'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus binghiensis ''Homoranthus binghiensis'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in northern New South Wales. It is an upright shrub with pointed leaves and usually paired yellowish to red flowers. Description ''Homoranth ...

'' J.T.Hunter. (N.S.W) *''

Homoranthus brevistylis ''Homoranthus brevistylis'' is a plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Queensland. It is an upright shrub with pointed, linear leaves and groups of up to four pale yellow flowers in leaf axils. It is only known from t ...

'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus bruhlii ''Homoranthus bruhlii'' is a plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It is an upright shrub with glabrous, pale green, linear leaves and with groups of three or four pale yellow ...

'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus cernuus'' (R.T.Baker) Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus clarksonii ''Homoranthus clarksonii'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Queensland. It is an upright shrub with pointed, linear leaves and pairs of creamy pink to pale yellow flowers which turn pink as they age. ...

'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus coracinus ''Homoranthus coracinus'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Queensland. It is a low, spreading shrub with pointed, narrow, egg-shaped leaves and groups of up to six flowers with black petals. It is onl ...

'' 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 ''Homoranthus decasetus'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to a small area in central Queensland. It has small, thin leaves and flowers that fade to purple as they age. Description ''Homoranthus decasetus'' is ...

'' Byrnes (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus decumbens ''Homoranthus decumbens'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Queensland. It is a low, spreading shrub with cylindrical leaves arranged in alternating opposite pairs. The flowers are yellowish green and ar ...

'' (Byrnes) Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus elusus ''Homoranthus elusus'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae 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 axils. It is only kn ...

'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus flavescens ''Homoranthus flavescens'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to northern New South Wales. It is a low, spreading, flat-topped shrub with cylinder-shaped or flattened leaves. Single yellow to reddish flowers appear in leaf ...

'' A.Cunn. ex Schauer (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus floydii ''Homoranthus floydii'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. Description ''Homoranthus floydii'' is easily distinguished from all other species of ''Homoranthus'' by its erect habit, shiny leaves that appe ...

'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus homoranthoides'' (F.Muell.) Craven & S.R.Jones (S.A.) *''

Homoranthus inopinatus ''Homoranthus inopinatus'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to a small area in southern Queensland. It is an upright shrub with linear leaves and with groups of three to six flowers in leaf wikt:axil, axils near ...

'' 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 ''Homoranthus montanus'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in southern Queensland. It has narrow leaves and up to one to six small tubular, cream-coloured flowers arranged in leaf axils near the ends of th ...

'' Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus papillatus ''Homoranthus papillatus'', commonly known as mouse bush, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in southern Queensland. It is a compact shrub with curved, linear leaves and pale yellow flowers arranged in up ...

'' 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 ''Homoranthus tropicus'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to tropical north Queensland. It is a shrub with curved, club-shaped leaves and white flowers in a corymb-like arrangement on the ends of branchlets. Descri ...

'' Byrnes (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus vagans'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus virgatus ''Homoranthus virgatus'' commonly known as twiggy homoranthus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is found growing in coastal areas of northern New South Wales and in Queensland. It is an upright shrub with wand-like bran ...

'' A.Cunn. ex Schauer (N.S.W., Qld.) *''

Homoranthus wilhelmii ''Homoranthus wilhelmii'', commonly known as the eastern feather flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with cylindrical to flattened leaves and white or p ...

'' (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