Citation: Lindley in T.L. Mitchell, Three Exped. Int. eastern Austral. 2:114 (1838).

Synonymy: B. crassifolia Lindley var. pentamera J. Black, Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 59:259 (1935).

Common name: Desert baeckea, desert heath-myrtle.

Description:
Shrub to 50 cm tall; leaves scarcely overlapping to crowded, appressed to slightly spreading, thickened, extremely variable in shape ranging from almost hemispherical to linear and semiterete, 0.8-5 mm long.

Flowers solitary, 4.5-7.5 mm across, on non-articulated peduncles; bracteoles thin, deeply concave, caducous; hypanthium obconical; calyx-lobes deltoid to semi-elliptic, red-black; petals white to pale-violet; stamens 5-12, 1 opposite each petal and sepal when 10, some calyx-lobes with none or more than one when not 10; filaments straight; anthers opening in parallel slits, anther gland reddish, prominent; ovary completely fused to the hypanthium, 3-celled, with 2 ovules per cell.

seeds reniform.

Published illustration: Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 512.

Distribution:    N.S.W.; Vic. Conservation status: native Flowering time: spring and summer.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: While the flowers of this species are very constant in their overall morphology there is variation in the number of the stamens. On the basis of this variation 2 varieties have been described, one (var. icosandra) is disjunct and is found in W.Aust. only. The other var, pentamera was described from KI with its distinguishing character being its supposedly constant 5 stamens. Stamen number on specimens from KI varies from 5 to 10, and also varies in different flowers from a single specimen e.g. from 5 to 8. It is probable that detailed study would lead to the description of varieties of B. crassifolia based on the different leaf forms however, as the types of the type variety and var. pentamera have very similar leaves, it cannot be considered a good variety.

Author: Not yet available