''Micromyrtus ninghanensis'' is a species of the flowering plant in the 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 the

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end toward the base, white flowers in diameter, and 10

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 in each flower.

Description

''Micromyrtus ninghanensis'' is a low, spreading shrub that typically grows to high and has its leaves densely arranged near the ends of branchlets. Its leaves are erect, egg-shaped to broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are in diameter, and arranged in between 2 and 15 upper leaf axils on a

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

long. The sepals are egg-shaped, wide and pale brownish. The petals are white, very broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base and long. There are 10 stamens in each flower, the

anthers 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 filam ...

long. Flowering occurs between September and late October, and the fruit is about long and wide, containing a single compressed seed.

Taxonomy

''Micromyrtus ninghanensis'' was first formally described in 2002 by Barbara Lynette Rye in the journal '' Nuytsia'' from specimens collected by

Margaret Georgina Corrick Margaret Georgina Corrick (11 October 1922 – 12 August 2020) was an Australian botanist. She collected over 10,000 specimens and was an expert on ''Pultenaea.'' Life Margaret Georgina Corrick was born in Hobart, Tasmania on 11 October 1922 ...

in the Ninghan area, west-south-west of Paynes Find in 1984. 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 ...

(''ninghanensis'') refers to this species occurring in the Ninghan Station area.

Distribution and habitat

This species is apparently restricted to the Ninghan area in the Yalgoo bioregion of south-western Western Australia where it grows on a greenstone-granite hill in low open woodland.

Conservation status

''Micromyrtus ninghanensis'' is listed as " Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15373563 ninghanensis Endemic flora of Western Australia Myrtales of Australia Rosids of Western Australia Plants described in 2002 Taxa named by Barbara Lynette Rye