Family: Myrtaceae
Thryptomene
Citation:
Endl., Stirp. Herb. Huegel. 6 (1838).
Derivation: Greek thryptomene, diminished, made small; alluding to the lowly stature of most of the species.
Synonymy: Not Applicable Common name: Thryptomenes.
Description:
Shrubs, slender, erect, glabrous, mostly 0.3-1.5 m high; leaves small, entire, opposite, decussate, dotted with immersed oil glands.
Flowers small, 1-3 in the upper axils; sepals 5, membranous or petaloid, entire; petals 5, white or pink; stamens 5, opposite the sepals; gland on the anther connective small to prominent; ovary inferior, 1-celled, fused to the smooth, ribbed or rugulose hypanthium; placenta basal to subbasal; ovules 2 or 2 plus 2 and superposed.
Distribution:
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About 32 species, in southern, central and north-eastern Australia. (Green (1980) Nuytsia 3:183-209.)
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Biology:
No text
Key to Species:
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1. Hypanthium rugulose to finely granular, cup-shaped; sepals triangular, herbaceous-tipped; ovules 4 |
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T. maisonneuvei 6. |
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1. Hypanthium smooth or 5-10-ribbed, subcylindrical, obconical or urceolate; sepals ovate to orbicular, petaloid; ovules 2 |
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2. Hypanthium subcylindrical, 10-ribbed (at least when dry) |
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3. Leaves narrow-elliptical; peduncles 2-3 mm long |
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T. ericaea 4. |
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3. Leaves broadly obovate-oblong; peduncles c. 1 mm long |
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T. micrantha 7. |
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2. Hypanthium obconical to compressed-saccate, smooth or irregularly wrinkled |
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4. Leaves flat, elliptical, 2-4 mm broad; peduncles to 2.5 mm long; hypanthium often deeply indented above the ovary |
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T. calycina 2. |
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4. Leaves thick, not over 1 mm broad; hypanthium not indented |
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5. Hypanthium oblong in outline, usually compressed and often saccate; leaves obtuse; connective gland exceeding the loculi |
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T. elliottii 3. |
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5. Hypanthium obconical to turbinate, becoming enlarged in fruit; leaves usually mucronate near the apex; connective gland as large as the loculi |
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6. Leaves subcylindrical, 3-4 mm long, mucro prominent |
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T. longifolia 5. |
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6. Leaves subglobular to clavate, 2-3 mm long, mucro minute to absent |
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T. biseriata 1. |
Author:
Prepared by J. W. Green
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