Sannantha virgata

{{Short description|Species of shrub}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Sannantha virgata (Babingtonia virgata) - UC Santa Cruz Arboretum - DSC07352.JPG

|image_caption =

|genus = Sannantha

|species = virgata

|authority = (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Peter G.Wilson

|synonyms =

  • Babingtonia virgata (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) F.Muell.
  • Baeckea virgata (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Andrews
  • Harmogia virgata (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) Schauer
  • Leptospermum virgatum J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
  • Melaleuca virgata (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.) L.f.

}}

{{Commonscat}}

Sannantha virgata is a flowering shrub species in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is endemic to New Caledonia. The plant grows to between 0.5 and 3 metres high. White flowers appear in spring or summer with 5 rounded petals surrounding 7 to 10 stamens. The fruits are 1–2 mm wide and 2–3 mm in length.{{cite web|title=Sannantha virgata (Espece)| url=http://www.endemia.nc/plante/fiche4194.html |work=Endémía - Faune & Flore de Nouvelle-Calédonie| accessdate=7 January 2011 }}

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1775 as Leptospermum virgatum. In 1810 it was placed in the genus Baeckea.{{cite web |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?TAXON_NAME=Sannantha+virgata|title=Sannantha virgata |accessdate=7 January 2011 |work= Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database|publisher = Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra}} By 1997 an Australian Baeckea virgata species complex had been identified which was regarded as separate from the New Caledonian population. From this complex, 8 separate species were identified and placed in the genus Babingtonia. In 2007, the species were placed in the newly created genus Sannantha and assigned the following names:{{cite web|title=Baeckea virgata = Sannantha spp.|publisher=James Cook University|url=http://cms.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/plantscommon/JCUDEV_006311|

accessdate=7 January 2011 }}

References