''Homoranthus papillatus'', commonly known as mouse bush, is a 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 a small area in southern

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 , established_ ...

. It is a compact shrub with curved, linear leaves and pale yellow flowers arranged in upper 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 ...

Description

''Homoranthus papiillatus'' is small, prostrate, spreading shrub to high. The leaves are arranged opposite on a short petiole, linear, curved, about long with dense warty protuberances on the surface. The flowers are borne singly in upper leaf axils, light lemon-yellow, calyx tube long, in diameter, smooth, ribbed, five orbicular petals about in diameter, and a protruding style long,

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. The

bract 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 of ...

s are long, dry and fall off when the flower opens. Flowering occurs from September to November and the dry fruit forms September to December.

Taxonomy and naming

''Homoranthus papillatus'' was first formally described in 1981 by Norman Byrnes from a specimen collected in

Girraween National Park Girraween National Park is an area of the Granite Belt in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia reserved as a national park. Girraween is known for its spectacular flowers, dramatic landscapes and unique wildlife. Bushwalking and rock ...

in 1976 and the description was published in ''

Austrobaileya ''Austrobaileya'' is the sole genus consisting of a single species that constitutes the entire flowering plant family Austrobaileyaceae. The species ''Austrobaileya scandens'' grows naturally only in the Wet Tropics rainforests of northeast ...

''. 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 ...

(''papillatus'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word meaning "budlike". The common name "mouse bush" is due to the strong odour the plant emits, that of the smell of mice.

Distribution and habitat

Mouse bush is endemic to Mount Norman in

, Queensland where it grows in heath on skeletal sandy soils among crevices of granite outcrops.

Conservation status

This homoranthus is a rare species with a highly restricted distribution and low population numbers. It has been given ROTAP conservation code 2VC-t. IUCN (2010) considered "vulnerable".

References

External links

The Australasian Virtual Herbarium – Occurrence data for ''Homoranthus papillatus''
{{Taxonbar, from= Q5891585 papillatus Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1981 Myrtales of Australia Taxa named by Norman Brice Byrnes