Homoranthus papillatus
Mouse Bush
Mouse Bush
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots > Rosids > Myrtales > Myrtaceae > Homoranthus papillatus
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Overview:
Homoranthus papillatus, commonly known as mouse bush, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in southern Queensland
It is a compact shrub with curved, linear leaves and pale yellow flowers arranged in upper leaf axils
Common name: Mouse Bush
The common name "mouse bush" is due to the strong odour the plant emits, that of the smell of mice
Conservation status: Vulnerable
This homoranthus is a rare species with a highly restricted distribution and low population number
It has been given ROTAP conservation code 2VC-t. IUCN (2010) considered "vulnerable"
Etymology:
Homoranthus is derived from the Ancient Greek words homos meaning "same", "uniform", "like" or "similar" and anthos meaning "flower"
The specific epithet (papillatus) is a Latin word meaning "budlike"
Flowers:
The flowers are borne singly in upper leaf axils, light lemon-yellow
Calyx tube is 4 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, smooth, ribbed, five orbicular petals about 1 mm in diameter
It has a protruding style 6–9 mm long, pedicel 1–2 mm long
The bracts are 5 mm long, dry and fall off when the flower opens
Flowering occurs from September to November
Fruit:
The dry fruit forms September to December
Leaves:
The leaves are arranged opposite on a short petiole, linear, curved, about 10 mm long with dense warty protuberances on the surface
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
A small, prostrate, spreading shrub to 1 m high
Habitat:
Heath on skeletal sandy soils among crevices of granite outcrops
Distribution:
Endemic to Mount Norman in Girraween National Park, Queensland
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
Homoranthus papillatus was first formally described in 1981 by Norman Byrnes from a specimen collected in Girraween National Park in 1976 and the description was published in Austrobaileya
Sources of information: