''Thryptomene caduca'' is a species of flowering plant in the 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 small area in the north-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with crowded egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pink flowers with five petals and seven to nine

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 ...

Description

''Thryptomene caduca'' is a spreading shrub that typically grows to high and about wide. Its leaves are crowded on the branchlets, pointing upwards and egg-shaped to more or less round, long and wide on a petiole less than long. The flowers are arranged

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

-like in groups of two to six 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 egg-shaped bracteoles long that fall from the flower buds. The flowers are in diameter with egg-shaped to heart-shaped, pink sepals usually long and keeled. The petals are pink, long and there are seven to nine stamens. Flowering mainly occurs from July to September.

Taxonomy

''Thryptomene caduca'' was first formally described in 2014 by Barbara Lynette Rye and

Malcolm Eric Trudgen Malcolm Eric Trudgen (born 1951) is a West Australian botanist. He has published some 105 botanical names. He currently runs his own consulting company, ''ME Trudgen and Associates''. He has worked in the Pilbara. Some publications * *. * * ...

in the journal '' Nuytsia'' from specimens collected by G.J. Keighery and N. Gibson in 1996. 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 ...

(''caduca'') means "dropping off early", referring to the bracteoles.

Distribution and habitat

The shrub grows in sandy places including coastal sand dunes and is found from near Tamala Station to near Hamelin Pool and Kalbarri, often with '' Banksia'' or '' Eucalyptus'' species.

Conservation status

''Thryptomene caduca'' is classified as " Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...

meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q30687128 caduca Endemic flora of Western Australia Rosids of Western Australia Plants described in 2014 Taxa named by Barbara Lynette Rye Taxa named by Malcolm Eric Trudgen