''Orites milliganii'', also known as Milligan's orites or the toothed orites, is a species of

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 ...

in the protea family 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 ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Description

The species grows as a dense and rigid shrub up to two metres in height, or more in sheltered sites. The thick, oval leaves are 15–30 mm long, with short stalks, toothed margins and sharp, pointed tips. The cream-coloured, scented flowers are clustered on spikes at the ends of the branches. The dry fruits are about 15 mm long, splitting open along one side to release the seeds.

Distribution and habitat

The species has a restricted distribution in the mountains of western Tasmania, where it is a component of alpine deciduous and coniferous heathland. It is considered to be rare under Tasmania's

Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 The ''Threatened Species Protection Act 1995'' (TSP Act), is an act of the Parliament of Tasmania that provides the statute relating to conservation of flora and fauna. Its long title is An Act to provide for the protection and management of th ...

References

milliganii Endemic flora of Tasmania Plants described in 1856 {{Australia-eudicot-stub