''Gaudium sericatum'' is a species of erect 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 Queensland. It has thin, firm bark, narrow egg-shaped to elliptical leaves, white or pink flowers arranged usually singly on side shoots and fruit that falls from the plant when the seeds are released.

Description

''Gaudium sericatum'' is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of and has thin, firm bark, the branchlets usually with flattened silky hairs. The leaves are narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, or elliptical, long and wide with a short, blunt point on the tip and tapering to a short petiole. The flowers are usually borne singly on side shoots or 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 white or pink, about wide. 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 silky-hairy, about long and there are a few broad, thin bracts at the base of the flower, some of which remain until the flowers open. The sepals are thin and pale, 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 long and 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 about long. Flowering occurs from September to October.

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1848 by

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

who gave it the name ''Leptospermum sericatum'' in Thomas Mitchell's ''Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia''. In 2023,

Peter Gordon Wilson Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

transferred the species to the genus ''Gaudium'' as ''G. parvifolium'' in the journal ''

Taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

This tea-tree usually grows in crevices near sandstone cliffs and occurs in the Leichhardt district in Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15368392 sericatum Myrtales of Australia Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1992