''Micromyrtus vernicosa'' is a species of flowering plant 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 ...

and is endemic to a south-eastern Queensland. It is a spreading shrub with overlapping lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and small white flowers arranged singly in leaf axils with 5

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 vernicosa'' is a spreading shrub that typically grows up to high and wide and has more or less drooping branchlets. It has overlapping, lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, long, wide on a petiole long. The leaves are glabrous and glossy with prominent

oil glands An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

. The flowers are wide and arranged singly in 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, with 2 translucent bracteoles about long at the base. There are 5 more or less round sepals lobes long and wide, and 5 white, elliptical petals long and wide. There are 5 stamens, the filaments about long and the style is long. Flowering has been observed in May and June.

Taxonomy

''Micromyrtus vernicosa'' was first formally described in 1997 by

Anthony Bean Anthony Russell Bean (born 1957) is an Australian botanist who works at the Queensland Herbarium and Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha. Since 1982, he has led the Eucalyptus Study Group of the Society for Growing Australian Plants. Care ...

in the journal Austrobaileya from specimens collected in Mount Walsh National Park. 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 ...

(''vernicosa'') means "varnished", referring to the glossy leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This species of micromyrtus is endemic to Mount Walsh where it grows in rocky soils in heathland.

Conservation status

''Micromyrtus vernicosa'' is listed as "vulnerable" under the Queensland Government '' Nature Conservation Act 1992''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15374555 vernicosa Flora of Queensland Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1997 Taxa named by Anthony Bean