Austromyrtus tenuifolia
Austromyrtus tenuifolia or the narrow-leaf myrtle is a species of plant belonging to the Myrtaceae family that is native to the Sydney area in eastern Australia. The habitat that it prefers is sheltered, damp situations, often found growing near streams.
Narrow-leaf myrtle | |
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Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Myrtales |
Family: | Myrtaceae |
Genus: | Austromyrtus |
Species: | A. tenuifolia |
Binomial name | |
Austromyrtus tenuifolia | |
Synonyms | |
Myrtus tenuifolia Sm. |
Austromyrtus tenuifolia has thin leaves; 1.5 to 4 cm long, and 1 to 3 mm wide. Flowers have 5 petals and short stalks and flower in late spring and summer. The berries are edible, dark purple when immature which then turn white with dark spots when mature.[1] The specific epithet tenuifolia is from Latin, meaning "thin leaved".[2][3] This plant first appeared in scientific literature in 1797 as Myrtus tenuifolia, published in the Transactions of the Linnean Society by the 18th century botanist James Edward Smith.
References
- "PlantNET - FloraOnline".
- Les Robinson – Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, ISBN 978-0-7318-1211-0 page 24
- Peter G. Wilson. "Austromyrtus tenuifolia". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 12 November 2019.