Leptospermum micromyrtus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Button tea-tree | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leptospermum micromyrtus in the Mount Buffalo National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Leptospermum |
| Species: | L. micromyrtus |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptospermum micromyrtus | |
Leptospermum micromyrtus is a species of spreading shrub that is endemic to higher areas of south-eastern Australia. It has broad, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, white flowers and fruit that remain on the plant at maturity.
Leptospermum micromyrtus is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in). It has papery bark tending to rough and peeling in flakes. The leaves are egg-shaped to broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, sometimes almost round, mostly 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long and 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) wide on a short petiole. The flowers are white, 12–15 mm (0.47–0.59 in) wide and usually arranged singly, sometimes in pairs on a short side shoot. There are broad reddish brown bracts at the base of the flower bud but which fall off as the flower opens. The floral cup is dark-coloured and glabrous, 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long on a pedicel up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The sepals are triangular, 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long, the petals 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and the stamens 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from December to March, mainly January to February and the fruit is a broadly hemispherical capsule 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) wide remaining on the plant at maturity and finally becoming fissured.[2][3][4]