''Leptospermum gregarium'' is a species of shrub that 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 eastern Australia. Its young stems are hairy the leaves are egg-shaped to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, the flowers are white and arranged singly or in pairs on short side branches and the fruit remain on the plant at maturity. It usually grows in dense stands in swamps or along rocky creeks in high altitude place in northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland.

Description

''Leptospermum gregarium'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of about . Older stems have bark that is shed in strips or small flakes and younger stems are covered with fine hairs. The leaves are broadly egg-shaped to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, mostly long and wide but sometimes longer. The flowers are white and are borne singly or in pairs on short side branches, and are less than in diameter. 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 hairy, about long on very short

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 ...

. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are triangular to more or less round, long, 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 about long and the stamens long. Flowering mainly occurs from November to December and the fruit is a capsule mostly in diameter and remain on the plant at maturity.

Taxonomy

''Leptospermum gregarium'' was first formally described in 1989 by Joy Thompson in the journal '' Telopea'', based on plant material collected from from Ebor on the road to Guyra in 1981. 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 ...

(''gregarium'') refers to the tendency of this species to grow in dense stands.

Distribution and habitat

''Leptospermum gregarium'' grows in swamps and along rocky creeks in high altitude areas of New South Wales north from

Nundle Nundle is a village in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Nundle Shire, but most of this area, including the village of Nundle, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. The village ...

and of the

Granite Belt The Granite Belt is an area of the Great Dividing Range in the Darling Downs region of Queensland and the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Granite Belt is centred on the town of Stanthorpe. The cool, high country of the gra ...

in south-east Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15368885 gregarium Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1989