Leptospermum crassifolium is a species of shrub that is endemic to the Budawang Range in New South Wales. It has thin, rough bark that is shed annually, broadly elliptic leaves, white flowers borne singly on short side branches, and woody fruit.
| Leptospermum crassifolium | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Leptospermum |
| Species: | L. crassifolium
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| Binomial name | |
| Leptospermum crassifolium | |
| |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Description edit
Leptospermum crassifolium is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) and has thin, rough bark that is shed annually. The leaves are thick, broadly elliptical, about 7 mm (0.28 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide with a short, blunt point on the tip and a short petiole at the base. The flowers are about 18 mm (0.71 in) in diameter and are borne singly on short side shoots. The floral cup is mostly glabrous, about 5 mm (0.20 in) long on a fluted pedicel. The sepals are triangular, about 5 mm (0.20 in) long, the petals white, about 7 mm (0.28 in) long and the stamens arranged in groups of between five and seven, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. Flowering occurs in February and the fruit is a woody capsule 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter that remains on the plant with the sepals attached.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming edit
Leptospermum crassifolium was first formally described in 1989 by Joy Thompson in the journal Telopea.[3][4] The specific epithet (crassifolium) is derived from Latin words meaning "thick" and "-leaved" referring to the texture of the leaves.[3][5]
Distribution and habitat edit
Leptospermum crassifolium grows in sand and sandstone rock crevices on peaks in the Budawang Range.[2][3]
References edit
- ^ "Leptospermum crassifolium". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Leptospermum crassifolium". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d Thompson, Joy (1989). "A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae)". Telopea. 3 (3): 438–439.
- ^ "Leptospermum crassifolium". APNI. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 172. ISBN 9780958034180.