Leptospermum nitidum
{{Short description|Species of shrub}}
{{speciesbox
|name = Shiny tea-tree
|image = Leptospermum nitidum.JPG
|image_caption = Leptospermum nitidum in Maranoa Gardens
|genus = Leptospermum
|species = nitidum
|authority = Hook.f.{{cite web |title=Leptospermum nitidum |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/99560|website=Australian Plant Census |accessdate=7 May 2020}}
|synonyms =
- Leptospermum flavescens var. nitidum (Hook.f.) Rodway
- Leptospermum pubescens var. nitidum (Hook.f.) Domin
}}
Leptospermum nitidum, commonly known as shiny tea-tree,{{cite web |title=Leptospermum nitidum |url=http://www.understorey-network.org.au/communities.html?species=Leptospermum%20nitidum |publisher=Understorey Network |accessdate=7 May 2020}} is a species of compact shrub that is endemic to Tasmania. It has crowded, aromatic, elliptical leaves, white flowers about {{cvt|15|mm}} in diameter and fruit that remain on the plants until it is burned or dies.
Description
Leptospermum nitudum is a densely foliaged, compact shrub that typically grows to a height of {{cvt|2|m}} and has scaly bark. The leaves are aromatic, mostly glabrous, elliptical, {{cvt|8–20|mm}} long, {{cvt|3–6|mm}} wide and glossy, usually with a sharp point on the tip and tapering at the base to a short petiole. The flowers are white, about {{cvt|15|mm}} wide and arranged on the ends of leafy side branches. There are golden brown bracts and bracteoles at the base of the flower buds but that usually fall off before the flower opens. The floral cup is {{cvt|4–6|mm}} long with triangular sepals mostly {{cvt|5–6|mm}} long. The petals are about {{cvt|6|mm}} long and the stamens {{cvt|2.5–3|m}} long. Flowering occurs in January and the fruit is a capsule {{cvt|6–10|mm}} long with the sepals attached and that remains on the plant at maturity.{{cite journal |last1=Thompson |first1=Joy |title=A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae) |journal=Telopea |date=1989 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=370–371|doi=10.7751/telopea19894902 |doi-access=free }}{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Simon |title=A Beekeper's Guide to Australian Leptospermum Trees and Honey |date=2018 |publisher=Agrifutures |isbn=9781925476101 |pages=105–106 |url=https://www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/A-Beekeeper’s-Guide-to-Australian-Leptospermum-Trees-and-Honey-ver-1.0-online.pdf|accessdate=7 May 2020}}{{cite web |title=Leptospermum nitidum |url=https://www.utas.edu.au/docs/plant_science/field_botany/species/dicots/myrtasp/leptniti.html |publisher=University of Tasmania |accessdate=7 May 2020}}
Taxonomy and naming
Leptospermum nitidum was first formally described in 1856 by English botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker in The Botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery ships Erebus and Terror. III. Flora Tasmaniae based on specimens collected by Ronald Gunn.{{cite web|title=Leptospermum nitidum|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/526166|publisher=APNI|accessdate=7 May 2020}}{{cite book |last1=Hooker |first1=Joseph Dalton |title=The Botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery ships Erebus and Terror. III. Flora Tasmaniae 1(2) |date=1856 |publisher=Reeve Brothers |location=London |page=139 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/90337#page/271/mode/1up |accessdate=7 May 2020}} The specific epithet (nitidum) is a Latin word meaning "shining" or "bright".{{cite book |author=Francis Aubie Sharr |author-link=Francis Aubie Sharr |title=Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings |date=2019 |publisher=Four Gables Press |location=Kardinya, Western Australia |isbn=9780958034180 |page=261}}
Distribution and habitat
Shiny tea-tree grows in cold, moist, heath and is widespread in Tasmania, including on Cape Barren Island.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q768407}}
Category:Myrtales of Australia
Category:Endemic flora of Tasmania