''Micromyrtus obovata'' 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 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 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 an erect 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 obovata'' is an erect 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 6 and 20 or more 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

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 egg-shaped or elliptic, long an wide. 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 ...

about long. Flowering occurs between July and September, and the fruit is long and wide, containing a single golden brown seed.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1852 by Nikolai Turczaninow who gave it the name ''Thryptomene obovata'' in the ''Bulletin de la Classe Physico-Mathématique de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences de Saint-Pétersbourg'' from material collected by James Drummond. In 1985, John Green transferred the species to ''Micromyrtus'' as ''M. obovata'' . 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 ...

(''obovata'') means "inverted egg-shaped", referring to the shape of the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

''Micromyrtus obovata'' grows on hills, slopes and flats between Wubin,

Lake Grace A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

and

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...

in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie,

Esperance Plains Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a pl ...

, and Mallee bioregions of south-western Western Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15373727 obovata Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1852 Myrtales of Australia Rosids of Western Australia Taxa named by Nikolai Turczaninow