Micrantheum hexandrum

Micrantheum hexandrum, commonly known as box micrantheum,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Picrodendraceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, monoecious shrub with oblong to narrowly lance-shaped leaves, and small white flowers with six or nine stamens. Picrodendraceae.

Micrantheum hexandrum
Micrantheum hexandrum
Mount Buffalo National Park, Victoria
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Picrodendraceae
Genus: Micrantheum
Species:
M. hexandrum
Binomial name
Micrantheum hexandrum
Synonyms[1]
  • Caletia hexandra (Hook.f.) Müll.Arg.
  • Caletia micrantheoides Baill. nom. illeg., nom. superfl.
  • Micranthea hexandra F.Muell. orth. var.
  • Micranthemum hexandrum Hook.f. orth. var.
  • Micrantheum boroniaceum F.Muell.
  • Phyllanthus boroniacus Grüning nom. inval., pro syn.

Description

Micrantheum hexandrum is an erect, monoecious, more or less glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of about 2 m (6 ft 7 in). The leaves are oblong to narrowly lance-shaped or lance-shaped, with the narrower end towards the base, 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide with a small point on the tip. Male flowers are borne on a peduncle about 8 mm (0.31 in) long, the sepals egg-shaped and 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long, and have six or nine stamens. Female flowers are more or less sessile, the sepals lance-shaped to egg-shaped and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long. Flowering mostly occurs from October to February, and the fruit is an oval to spherical capsule 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy

Micrantheum hexandrum was first formally described in 1847 by Joseph Dalton Hooker in the London Journal of Botany from specimens collected near Launceston.[6][7] The specific epithet (hexandrum) means "six stamens".[8]

Distribution and habitat

Box micrantheum grows on rocky sites and near watercourses, often at higher altitudes, from south-eastern Queensland, along the coast and tablelands of New South Wales to scattered places in eastern Victoria and to eastern Tasmania.[2][3][4][5][9]

References
  1. "Micrantheum hexandrum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  2. Jeanes, Jeff A.; Stajsic, Val. "Micrantheum hexandrum". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  3. James, Teresa A.; Harden, Gwen J. "Micrantheum hexandrum". Royal Botanic Grden Sydney. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  4. Robinson, Les (1991). Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney. Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press. p. 167. ISBN 0864171927.
  5. Fairley, Alan; Moore, Philip (2010). Native Plants of the Sydney Region. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Jacana Books. p. 118. ISBN 9781741755718.
  6. "Micrantheum hexandrum". APNI. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  7. Hooker, Joseph D. (1847). "Florae Tasmaniae Spicilegium: or, Contributions towards a Flora of Van Diemen's Land". London Journal of Botany. 6: 283–284. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  8. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 217. ISBN 9780958034180.
  9. Jordan, Greg. "Micrantheum hexandrum". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
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