Leptospermum brevipes

Leptospermum brevipes, commonly known as the slender tea-tree,[2] is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has fibrous bark on the main stems, smooth bark on young stems, narrow elliptical to narrow egg-shaped leaves, white flowers and hemispherical fruit that is shed when mature.

Slender tea-tree
Leptospermum brevipes in Namadgi National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Leptospermum
Species:
L. brevipes
Binomial name
Leptospermum brevipes
Occurrence data from AVH

Description

Leptospermum brevipes is a shrub or small tree that typically grows to 4 m (13 ft) high. The bark on its larger stems is rough but young stems have smooth bark that is shed in stringy strips and have a flange near the base of the petiole. The leaves are narrow elliptical to narrow egg-shaped, 6–25 mm (0.24–0.98 in) long, 2–4.5 mm (0.079–0.177 in) wide, hairy at first but become glabrous. The flowers are borne singly or in pairs in leaf axils and are 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) in diameter on a pedicel 2–8 mm (0.079–0.315 in) long. The floral cup is hairy and about 2 mm (0.079 in) long. The sepals are triangular, silky hairy and about 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The petals are white, 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long and the stamens are about 1 mm (0.039 in) long. Flowering occurs from October to December and the fruit is a silky-hairy, hemispherical capsule 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) in diameter with the sepals attached and that is shed when mature.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Leptospermum brevipes was first formally described in 1855 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his book Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants.[5][6] The specific epithet (brevipes) is a Latin word meaning "short-footed".[7]

Distribution and habitat

Slender tea-tree grows in woodland and shrubland, usually on rocky granite outcrops and near rocky streams. It occurs from the Granite Belt in south-eastern Queensland, mostly along the tablelands of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to eastern Victoria.[2][3][4]

References

  1. "Leptospermum brevipes". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. "Leptospermum brevipes". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. Thompson, Joy (1989). "A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae)". Telopea. 3 (3): 382–383.
  4. "Leptospermum brevipes". Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. "Leptospermum brevipes". APNI. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  6. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1855). Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants. Melbourne: Goodhugh & Trembath. p. 45. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. Short, Emma; George, Alex (2013). A Primer of Botanical Latin with Vocabulary. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. p. 27. ISBN 9781107693753.
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