Kunzea acicularis
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| Kunzea acicularis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Kunzea |
| Species: | K. acicularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Kunzea acicularis | |
Kunzea acicularis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with a few erect stems, small and groups of three to five, pink to mauve flowers. It is a rare, recently described species only known from a small area near Ravensthorpe.
Kunzea acicularis is a shrub which grows to a height of up to 2 m (7 ft), with a few erect, irregularly-branched stems which are covered with fine hairs when young. The leaves are egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, densely hairy, 3.5–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, with a stalk less than 1 mm (0.04 in) long.[2][3]
Three to five pink to mauve flowers are arranged in groups on the ends of branches. The flowers are surrounded by hairy, narrow triangular bracts and bracteoles about 3 mm (0.1 in) long and 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The sepals are about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and hairy and the five petals are 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and almost round. There are about 26 stamens which are usually longer than the petals and a style 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long. Flowering occurs in October and November and is followed by fruit which are hairy urn-shaped capsules with the sepals attached.
Taxonomy and naming
This species was first formally described in 2007 by Hellmut Toelken and Gil Craig and the description was published in Nuytsia.[1] The specific epithet (acicularis) is a Latin word meaning "like a needle"[4] referring to the needle-like bracts.[2]