''Thryptomene saxicola'', commonly known as rock thryptomene, 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 south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with small oval or egg-shaped leaves and pale pink flowers arranged in leaf axils. It is hardy plant, common in cultivation, sometimes as "Payne's hybrid" or ''Thryptomene paynei''.

Description

''Thryptomene saxicola'' is a spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of . It has oval to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and long. The flowers are pale pink to white with five sepals, five more or less circular 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 ...

s. Flowering mainly occurs from February to November, but flowers are often present in most months.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1832 by Joseph Dalton Hooker in the '' Botanical Magazine'' and given the name ''Baeckea saxicola'' from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham. In 1844, Johannes Conrad Schauer changed the name to ''Thryptomene saxicola'' in the journal ''

Plantae Preissianae ''Plantae preissianae sive enumeratio plantarum quas in australasia occidentali et meridionali-occidentali annis 1838-1841 collegit Ludovicus Preiss'', more commonly known as ''Plantae preissianae'', is a book written by Johann Georg Christian Leh ...

''. 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 ...

(''saxicola'') means "rock-dweller".

Distribution and habitat

''Thryptomene saxicola'' grows on granite outcrops and on hills in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

biogeographic regions A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions. De ...

of south-western Western Australia.

Use in horticulture

Rock thryptomene has been widely grown in gardens in most parts of Australia and overseas as well. It is a hardy plant in well-drained soil and is moderately frost-tolerant. Propagation is usually by cuttings. Cultivars include: * F.C. Payne' ('paynei') - similar to the typical form, introduced to cultivation in the 1960s or before. *'Minginew' - mauve-pink flowers It has recently been hypothesized that this may be a form of '' Thryptomene hyporhytis'' or an unnamed species. *'Pink Lace'- deeper pink flowers, compact form *'Seatonii' *'Supernova'- pale pink flowers

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7798629 saxicola Endemic flora of Western Australia Rosids of Western Australia