''Verticordia decussata'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the myrtle

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 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 an area in the north of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. It is an open shrub with distinctive leaves and leaf arrangement and small spikes of cream to white flowers on the ends of the branches.

Description

''Verticordia decussata'' is an open, spreading, irregularly branched shrub which grows to a height of up to . The leaves are crowded, arranged in alternating pairs at right angles to the ones above and below so that the leaves are in four rows (

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 ...

) on short side branches. They are linear to rectangular in shape, semi-circular in cross-section, long, about wide, leathery in texture and have a groove on the lower surface. The flowers are faintly scented and arranged in small groups in leaf axils on stalks long. The

floral cup In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...

is shaped like half a sphere, long,

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

and smooth. The

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 are white to cream-coloured, long, with 2 or more hairy lobes. The

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 are cream-coloured to white, broadly egg-shaped, long, joined for about of that length and have irregular teeth around their top edge. 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 ...

is long, straight with hairs just below its tip. Flowering time is mainly from July to November.

Taxonomy and naming

''Verticordia decussata'' was first formally described by Norman Byrnes in 1977 and the description was published in ''Austrobaileya''. 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 ...

(''decussata'') was suggested by Dr. Stanley Blake but Blake did not fulfill his intention of describing the species. The epithet refers to the decussate leaf arrangement. When Alex George reviewed the genus ''Verticordia'' in 1991, he placed this species in subgenus ''Eperephes'', section ''Tropica'' along with '' V. cunninghamii'' and '' V. verticillata''.

Distribution and habitat

Along with '' V. cunninghamii'' and '' V. verticillata'', this verticordia is one of only three found in the Northern Territory. It usually grows in sandy soils on or near

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

escarpments in scattered locations between

Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...

and western

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

and including

Kakadu National Park Kakadu National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia, southeast of Darwin. It is a World Heritage Site. Kakadu is also gazetted as a locality, covering the same area as the national park, with 313 people recorded liv ...

Conservation

''Verticordia cunninghamii'' is classified as "least concern" by the Northern Territory Government ''Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act'',

Use in horticulture

To date, there are no records of ''V. decussata'' having been propagated or grown in gardens.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7922897 decussata Flora of the Northern Territory Plants described in 1977 Taxa named by Norman Brice Byrnes