''Thryptomene dampieri'' 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 the north-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with prostrate stems, broadly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pinkish flowers with five petals and 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 ...

Description

''Thryptomene dampieri'' is usually a low, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of with sprawling or prostrate stems that often form adventitious roots. Its leaves are more or less pressed against the stem, egg-shaped with the lower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are arranged in pairs in groups of up to eight along flowering branchlets 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 remain until the fruit is shed. The flowers are in diameter with pale pink, egg-shaped sepals long. The petals are pink or pinkish-purple, long and there are usually ten stamens. Flowering occurs from April to September.

Taxonomy

''Thryptomene dampieri'' was first formally described in 2014 by Barbara Lynette Rye in the journal '' Nuytsia'' from specimens collected by John Green near Denham in 1957. 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 ...

(''dampieri'') honours William Dampier who collected this species near

Shark Bay Shark Bay (Malgana: ''Gathaagudu'', "two waters") is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/shark-bay area is located approximately north of Perth, on the ...

in 1699.

Distribution and habitat

This thryptomene grows in sand on dunes and limestone from near

Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of town ...

to Hamelin Bay and on several off-shore islands.

Conservation status

''Thryptomene dampieri'' is classified as "not threatened" 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 ...

. The species occurs in a long stretch of the coast of Western Australia north of Shark Bay.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q30687182 dampieri Endemic flora of Western Australia Rosids of Western Australia Plants described in 2014 Taxa named by Barbara Lynette Rye