''Homoranthus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about thirty species of plants 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 all are

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 ...

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 ...

. Plants in this genus share similarities with those in both '' Darwinia'' and ''

Verticordia :For the clam genus, see ''Verticordia'' (bivalve). ''Verticordia'' is a genus of more than 100 species of plants commonly known as featherflowers, in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. They range in form from very small shrubs such as '' V. vertico ...

''. They are shrubs with their leaves arranged in opposite pairs and with flowers appearing either singly or in small groups, usually in upper leaf

axils A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

. They are found in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The genus was first described in 1836. None of the species is common nor are they well-known in

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

Description

Plants in the genus ''Homoranthus'' are shrubs with their leaves arranged in opposite pairs, at right angles to the ones above and below (

decussate Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...

) so that the leaves are in four rows along the stems. They are linear to cylindrical in shape, sometimes thicker than wide. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to four in the upper leaf axils. There are five

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 and five

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 which are enclosed in two

bracteoles In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

before the flower opens, and which surround the base of the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

. There are ten

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 alternating with ten

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...

s. The style extends beyond the petals and has a ring of hairs below its tip. The fruit is a capsule containing one or two seeds. The Australian botanist Norman Byrnes has noted that ''Homoranthus'' "is not a clearly defined natural group but is more a genus of convenience between '' Darwinia'' and ''

''.jstor
/ref> In 1869,

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

wrote "Its retention s a separate genusmay, however, be justified as facilitating the distinction between ''Darwinia'' and ''Verticordia''".

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Homoranthus'' was first formally described in 1836 by

Johannes Conrad Schauer Johannes Conrad Schauer (16 February 1813 – 24 October 1848) was a botanist interested in Spermatophytes. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and attended the gymnasium of Mainz from 1825 to 1837. For the next three years he worked at the Hofgar ...

after an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham. Schauer's description was published in ''Linnaea: ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange, oder Beiträge zur Pflanzenkunde''.Tropicos, ''Homoranthus'' A. Cunn. ex Schauer
/ref> The genus name (''Homoranthus'') is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

words ''homos'' meaning "same", "uniform", "like" or "similar" and ''anthos'' meaning "flower".

Species

The following is a list of species accepted by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

as at January 2020: {{columns-list, colwidth=30em, *''

Homoranthus bebo ''Homoranthus bebo'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to a small area in northern New South Wales. It is a low-lying shrub with leaves that are usually flat and with groups of up to ten yellow flowers. It is ...

'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus biflorus ''Homoranthus biflorus'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in northern New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with cylinder-shaped leaves and small groups of usually yellow flowers. Description ''Homora ...

'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus binghiensis ''Homoranthus binghiensis'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in northern New South Wales. It is an upright shrub with pointed leaves and usually paired yellowish to red flowers. Description ''Homoranth ...

'' J.T.Hunter. (N.S.W) *''

Homoranthus brevistylis ''Homoranthus brevistylis'' is a plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in Queensland. It is an upright shrub with pointed, linear leaves and groups of up to four pale yellow flowers in leaf axils. It is only known from t ...

'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus bruhlii ''Homoranthus bruhlii'' is a plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It is an upright shrub with glabrous, pale green, linear leaves and with groups of three or four pale yellow ...

'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus cernuus ''Homoranthus cernuus'' is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the Wollemi National Park. It is a slender shrub with smooth, linear shaped leaves and pairs of pendulous cream-coloured flowers with a pinkis ...

'' (R.T.Baker) Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus clarksonii'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus coracinus'' A.R.Bean (Qld.) *''

Homoranthus croftianus ''Homoranthus croftianus'', commonly known as Bolivia homoranthus, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area near Bolivia in northern New South Wales. It is an upright shrub with pointed leaves arranged in altern ...

'' J.T.Hunter (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus cummingii'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus darwinioides'' (Maiden & Betche) Cheel (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus decasetus'' Byrnes (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus decumbens'' (Byrnes) Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus elusus'' L.M.Copel. (N.S.W.) *''

Homoranthus flavescens ''Homoranthus flavescens'' is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to northern New South Wales. It is a low, spreading, flat-topped shrub with cylinder-shaped or flattened leaves. Single yellow to reddish flowers appear in leaf ...

'' A.Cunn. ex Schauer (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus floydii'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus homoranthoides'' (F.Muell.) Craven & S.R.Jones (S.A.) *'' Homoranthus inopinatus'' L.M.Copel., J.Holmes & G.Holmes (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus lunatus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus melanostictus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus montanus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus papillatus'' Byrnes (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus porteri'' (C.T.White) Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus prolixus'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.) *'' Homoranthus thomasii'' (F.Muell.) Craven & S.R.Jones (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus tricolor'' A.R.Bean (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus tropicus'' Byrnes (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus vagans'' L.M.Copel. (Qld.) *'' Homoranthus virgatus'' A.Cunn. ex Schauer (N.S.W., Qld.) *'' Homoranthus wilhelmii'' (F.Muell.) Cheel (S.A.) *'' Homoranthus zeteticorum'' Craven & S.R.Jones (N.S.W.)

References

{{Reflist, refs= Cunningham, A. (1836), Genera Chamaelauciearum Nova Quaedam. Linnaea: ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange, oder Beiträge zur Pflanzenkunde 10: 310

Description

Taxonomy and naming

Species

References

Further reading