Gossia pubiflora
{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Gossia pubiflora.jpg
| image_caption =
| genus = Gossia
| species = pubiflora
| synonyms = *Myrtus pubiflora C.T.White
- Astromyrtus pubiflora C.T.White
}}
Gossia pubiflora is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae{{Cite web|title=Qld Government - Environment, land and water|url=https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species-search/details/?id=27391}} that is endemic to coastal central east Queensland. It is a shrub or small tree that grows to a height of {{cvt|1|to|6|m}} tall.{{cite web |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/Gossia_pubiflora.htm |title=Gossia pubiflora |author1=F.A.Zich |author2=B.P.M.Hyland |author3=T.Whiffen |author4=R.A.Kerrigan |author2-link=Bernard Hyland |year=2020 |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government |access-date=2 July 2021}}
Taxonomy
The species was first described in 1939 as Myrtus floribunda by C.T. White,{{APNI2|name=Gossia floribunda|access-date=2024-12-05|id=180917}}White, C.T. (1939), [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48935500 Contributions to the Queensland Flora, No. 6. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 50: 77] but was reassigned to the genus, Gossia, in 2003 by Neil Snow, Gordon Guymer and Sawvel.{{cite Q|Q55767955|pages=1-95 [38-39, Fig. 16]}}
Description
The bark is rough and flaky being light brown or gray in colour. Leaves are elliptic to ovate, {{cvt|1.8|to|5.5|cm}} long and {{cvt|0.8|to|3.3|cm}} wide, opposite arrangement, entire margins, oil dots are common. Flowers have 5 petals, petals are yellowish white and measure {{cvt|4|to|5|mm}} in length, hypanthium is cup shaped and is a greenish brown colour. Fruit are globose, {{cvt|9|to|17|mm}} long and {{cvt|11|to|19|mm}} wide, colour is red to nearly black, each fruit contains 1 seed, the crushed fruit apparently smells like methanol.
Distribution
Gossia pubiflora is endemic to coastal central east Queensland, which is south of Townsville and north of Rockhampton. Based on the records of the Australasian Virtual Herbarium records, its main population occurs in the Airlie Beach region.{{Cite web|title=The Australasian Virtual Herbarium|url=https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Gossia+pubiflora#tab_mapView}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q15366728}}
Category:Myrtales of Australia
Category:Plants described in 1939
Category:Taxa named by Neil Wilton Snow
Category:Taxa named by Gordon P. Guymer
Category:Taxa named by Cyril Tenison White
{{Myrtaceae-stub}}