''Calytrix decandra'', commonly known as pink starflower, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle 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 of Western Australia. It is a semi-prostrate, glabrous shrub with linear to narrowly elliptic leaves and pink, mauve or magenta flowers with usually 10

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 in a single row.

Description

''Calytrix decandra'' is a semi-prostrate, glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of up to . Its leaves are linear to narrowly elliptic, long and wide on a petiole long. There are stipules up to long at the base of the petioles. The flowers are borne 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 lance-shaped or linear bracteoles long. The floral tube is long and has 10 ribs. The sepals are joined for a short distance at the base, the lobes more or less round or elliptic, long and wide with an

awn AWN may stand for: * Awn Access to Justice Network in Gaza Strip, Legal Aid Network operate in Gaza Strip, Palestine * Animation World Network, an online organization for animators * Avant Window Navigator, a dock-like bar that tracks open windows ...

up to long. The petals are pink, mauve or magenta, lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic, long and wide, usually with 10 stamens long. Flowering occurs from August to December.

Taxonomy

''Calytrix decandra'' was first formally described in 1828 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in his '' Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis'' from specimens collected by Robert Brown. 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 ...

(''decandra'') means "ten males", referring to the ten stamens in each flower.

Distribution and habitat

Pink starflower grows in heath with ''

Banksia speciosa ''Banksia speciosa'', commonly known as the showy banksia, is a species of large shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. It is found on the south coast of Western Australia between Hopetoun (33°57′ S) and the Great Australian Big ...

'' or in scrub between the

Bremer Bay Bremer may refer to: People *Bremer (surname) *Bremer Ehrler (born 1914), American politician * Bremer (born 1997), Brazilian footballer Places ;Australia *Bremer Bay, Western Australia *Bremer Marine Park *Bremer Island * Bremer River (disambigua ...

district to the

Israelite Bay Israelite Bay is a bay and locality on the south coast of Western Australia. Situated in the Shire of Esperance local government area, it lies east of Esperance and the Cape Arid National Park, within the Nuytsland Nature Reserve and the Grea ...

district in grey or white sand on sandplains and of granite outcrops in the Esperance Plains and Mallee bioregions of southern Western Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15399093 Plants described in 1828 decandra Flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle