''Leptospermum argenteum'', commonly known as the Mt Royal tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to the higher parts of Barrington Tops in New South Wales. It has smooth bark, stems with a flange along the sides, broad leaves, white flowers and unlike many others in the genus, it is never lemon-scented.

Description

''Leptospermum argenteum'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of and is never lemon-scented. It has smooth bark that is shed in strips or flakes. Young stems are densely hairy at first and have a conspicuous flange, especially near the base of the leaves. The leaves are broadly egg-shaped to elliptical, long and wide with a short petiole. The flowers are usually borne singly 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 and are in diameter on a densely hairy

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 ...

about long. 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 glabrous and long. The sepals are about long and broadly egg-shaped to almost spherical and fall off as the flower develops. 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 long and white. The

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 are long and bundled into groups of about five. Flowering mainly occurs in January and the fruit is a woody capsule in diameter.

Taxonomy and naming

''Leptospermum argenteum'' was first formally described in 1989 by Joy Thompson in the journal '' Telopea''. 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 ...

(''argenteum'') is from Latin ''argenteus'', meaning "silvery in colour", referring to the colour of the new growth.

Distribution and habitat

Mt Royal tea-tree grows in forest and woodland, along streams and in swamps in the Barrington Tops area, including the Barrington Tops and

Mount Royal National Park Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

s and the Stewarts Brook State Forest.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15369002 argenteum Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1989