''Tetratheca bauerifolia'', commonly known as heath pink-bells, is a flowering plant in the family

Elaeocarpaceae Elaeaocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family contains approximately 615 species of trees and shrubs in 12 genera."Elaeocarpaceae" In: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol. VI. Springer-Verlag: Be ...

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 eastern Australia. It is a small compact shrub with pink-mauve flowers.

Description

''Tetratheca bauerifolia'' is a small shrub to high with angled or needle-shaped stems covered with bristly, short, curved or curled hairs usually less than long. The leaves are oval to narrow-elliptic shaped, arranged in

whorl A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

s of 4-6 along the branches, usually long, wide and

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

. The flowers are borne mostly singly on a hooked peduncle, the petals mauve-pink and long with darker, hairless

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 that are long. Flowering occurs from September to November and the fruit is heart-shaped to more or less wedge shaped and long.

Taxonomy

''Tetratheca bauerifolia'' was first formally described by Victorian Government Botanist

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 1853 and the description was published in ''Synopsis Tremandrearum''.

Distribution and habitat

Heath pink-bells grows mostly at higher altitudes in eucalypt forests in rocky locations south of Hill End in New South Wales. A widespread species in eastern Victoria usually in rocky locations or in open forests.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3519183 bauerifolia Oxalidales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller