''Phymatocarpus maxwellii'' is a plant in the myrtle

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It resembles many small species of Melaleuca, mainly differing in the way its

anther 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 ...

s are attached at the top of the stamens. In '' Phymatocarpus'' they are attached at their base and open at the other end through two slits. It is a shrub with many small heads of pink to purple flowers, often covering the plant for several weeks in October. Phymatocarpus maxwellii 01

Description

''Phymatocarpus maxwellii'' is an erect to spreading shrub which sometimes grows to a height and width of . The leaves are broad egg-shaped, long, often curved and stiff but not prickly. The flowers are pink to purple and are arranged in dense, roughly spherical heads about in diameter on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. There are 5

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, 5

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and 5 bundles of stamens. It can be distinguished from the other two species of ''Phymatocarpus'' by it lack of a ring of stamens - both the others have the stamens joined in a ring at their bases. Flowering occurs from August to November and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules. The individual capsules are about in diameter and are arranged in clusters which are rough or lumpy on the outer surface.

Taxonomy and naming

''Phymatocarpus maxwellii'' was first formally described in 1875 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. 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 ...

(''maxwellii'') honours the botanical collector

George Maxwell George Maxwell (1804–1880) was a professional collector of plants and insects in Southwest Australia. The botanical specimens he obtained were used to make formal descriptions of the region's plant species. Biography He was born in England in 18 ...

, the collector of the type specimen.

Distribution and habitat

''Phymatocarpus maxwellii'' occurs in and between the Mount Barker East and the

Israelite Bay Israelite Bay is a bay and locality on the south coast of Western Australia. Situated in the Shire of Esperance local government area, it lies east of Esperance and the Cape Arid National Park, within the Nuytsland Nature Reserve and the Grea ...

districts in the 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 biogeographic regions. It grows in a wide range of situations but mostly in sand on sandplains and depressions that are wet in winter.

Conservation

''Phymatocarpus maxwellii'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian government Department of Parks and Wildlife.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15378019 maxwellii Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1860 Endemic flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller