Eremaea fimbriata
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Eremaea fimbriata 0109.jpg
|image_caption = Eremaea fimbriata in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
|genus = Eremaea (plant)
|species = fimbriata
|authority = Lindl.{{cite web|title=Eremaea fimbriata|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/89960|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=3 April 2021}}
|synonyms =
- Eremaea fimbriata Lindl. var. fimbriata
- Eremaea rosea C.A.Gardner & A.S.George
- Melaleuca thysanota Craven & R.D.Edwards
}}
Eremaea fimbriata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with small leaves and single purple flowers on the ends of the branches. The fruits are woody, urn-shaped with a small opening at the top. Unlike other eremaeas which remain dormant during winter, Eremaea fimbriata begins the new year's growth in July or August.
Description
Eremaea fimbriata is a shrub growing to a height of about {{convert|1.0|m|ft|sigfig=1}}. The leaves are narrow egg-shaped, tapering to a point and are {{convert|4-8|mm|in|sigfig=1}} long, {{convert|0.5-4|mm|in|sigfig=2}} wide and have one or sometimes 3 veins visible on the lower surface. There are a few long, soft hairs on the upper surface and the lower surface is densely covered with short, fine hairs.{{cite journal|last1=Hnatiuk|first1=Roger J.|title=A revision of the genus Eremaea (Myrtaceae)|journal=Nuytsia|date=1998|volume=9|issue=2|pages=160–162|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/224642#page/30/mode/1up|accessdate=2 November 2020}}{{cite book|last1=Corrick|first1=Margaret G.|last2=Fuhrer|first2=Bruce A.|title=Wildflowers of southern Western Australia|date=2009|publisher=Rosenberg Publishing Pty. Ltd.|location=Kenthurst, N.S.W.|isbn=9781877058844|page=121|edition=3rd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzgsXMXxAd0C&dq=Eremaea+fimbriata&pg=PA121|accessdate=12 August 2015}}
The flowers are pink to deep pink and are borne singly on the ends of long branches which grew in the previous year. The flowers are {{convert|10-20|mm|in|sigfig=1}} across and have are 5 sepals which are densely hairy on the outside surface and have a short tuft of hairs on the top. There 5 petals, {{convert|2.8-4.6|mm|in|sigfig=1}} long. The stamens are about {{convert|8|mm|in|sigfig=1}} long are arranged in 5 bundles, each containing 13 to 18 stamens. Flowering occurs from July to September and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules. The capsules are {{convert|8.6-11|mm|in|sigfig=1}} long, smooth and urn-shaped to almost spherical with a small opening.
Taxonomy and naming
Eremaea fimbriata was first formally described in 1839 by John Lindley in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.{{cite web|title=Eremaea fimbriata|url=https://biodiversity.org.au/boa/instance/apni/511344|publisher=APNI|accessdate=12 August 2015}}{{cite book|last1=Lindley|first1=John|title=A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony|date=1839|publisher=James Ridgway|location=London|page=ix|url=https://archive.org/stream/sketchvegetatio00goog/sketchvegetatio00goog_djvu.txt|accessdate=12 August 2015}} The specific epithet (fimbriata) is from the Latin fimbriatus meaning "fringed".{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page =157}}
Distribution and habitat
Eremaea fimbriata occurs in near-coastal areas of the Irwin and Darling districts in the Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions.{{FloraBase|name=Eremaea fimbriata |id=5540 }} It grows in sandy soils, often with lateritic gravel.
Conservation
Eremaea fimbriata is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q15395803}}
Category:Myrtales of Australia