''Kunzea graniticola'' 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 Queensland. It is a shrub or small tree with linear to egg-shaped leaves and rounded groups of white or cream-coloured flowers on the ends of the branches in August and September. It is only known from forests near

Cardwell Cardwell may refer to: Places Australia *Cardwell, Queensland United States *Cardwell, Missouri *Cardwell, Montana * Cardwell Hall, Kansas State University Canada *Cardwell Parish, New Brunswick People *Alvin B. Cardwell (1902–1992), America ...

and on Hinchinbrook Island.

Description

''Kunzea graniticola'' is a shrub or small tree, sometimes growing to a height of with well-developed flanges on the branches which have corky rather than peeling bark. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches and are linear to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base. They are mostly long and about wide on a

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 ...

less than long. The leaves are flat, glabrous and have up to sixty oil glands visible on the lower surface only. The flowers are white or cream-coloured and arranged in rounded groups of three to eight on the ends of all the branches. There are oblong to lance-shaped

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 which are about long and wide and smaller paired bracteoles at the base of each flower. The

floral cup In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...

is long and glabrous. The sepals are triangular, about long and glabrous. The

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 are broadly egg-shaped, about long and there are eighty or more

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 about long, in several rows. Flowering occurs in August and September.

Taxonomy and naming

''Kunzea graniticola'' was first formally described in 1982 by

Norman Brice Byrnes Norman Brice Byrnes (1922 – 1998) was an Australian botanist, specialising in taxonomy. Byrnes was born in Adelaide on 18 December 1922. He served in the Australian Defence Force during World War II and following the war, in 1946 gained a Bach ...

from a specimen found north of Ingham. The description was published in '' Austrobaileya''.

Distribution and habitat

Growing on rocky slopes and on river banks in forest, ''K. graniticola'' occurs on Hinchinbrook Island and nearby mainland areas near Cardwell.

Conservation

''Kunzea graniticola'' is classified as "Least Concern" under the Queensland '' Nature Conservation Act 1992''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15368950 graniticola Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1982 Myrtales of Australia Endemic flora of Australia Taxa named by Norman Brice Byrnes