''Lithomyrtus obtusa'', commonly known as beach myrtella, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

species 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 ...

. It occurs in coastal areas in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and

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_ ...

, Australia. It is a shrub that grows to between 1 and 2 metres high. Leaves have recurved edges and are hairy on the underside. Pink flowers appear between January and September in the species' native range. These are followed by globose to cylindrical fruit with a persistent calyx. In 1770, plant material was collected at

Cape Grafton Cape Grafton is a cape located to the north-east of Cairns in Queensland, Australia. The cape was named by Lieutenant James Cook during his first voyage of discovery in 1770. It was named after Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, the Britis ...

Endeavour River The Endeavour River ( Guugu Yimithirr: ''Wabalumbaal''), inclusive of the Endeavour River Right Branch, the Endeavour River South Branch, and the Endeavour River North Branch, is a river system located on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queen ...

and Point Lookout () (not to be confused with Point Lookout, also named by Cook), by botanists

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...

and

Daniel Solander Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil. Biography ...

during Lieutenant James Cook's first voyage of discovery. However, the species was not formally described until 1834 by Austrian botanist

Stephan Endlicher Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. Bio ...

who gave it the name ''Fenzlia obtusa''. The species was transferred to the genus ''

Myrtella ''Myrtella'' is a genus of plants in the Myrtaceae described as a genus in 1877. It is native to New Guinea and to some islands of the western Pacific Islands, Pacific.Govaerts, R., Sobral, N., Ashton, P., Barrie, F., Holst, B.K., Landrum, L.L., ...

'' in 1978 and subsequently to the genus ''

Lithomyrtus ''Lithomyrtus'' is a genus of small trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. There are 11 species, native to the tropics of northern Australia and New Guinea: *''Lithomyrtus cordata'' (A.J.Scott) N.Snow & Guymer - (Northern Territory) * ...

'' in 1999.

References

External links

Herbarium specimen at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Myrtaceae Flora of New Guinea Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1834 {{Australia-rosid-stub