Micromyrtus carinata is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area of south-eastern Queensland. It is a slender shrub with drooping branchlets, overlapping, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves and small white flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.
| Micromyrtus carinata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Micromyrtus |
| Species: | M. carinata |
| Binomial name | |
| Micromyrtus carinata | |
Description
Micromyrtus carinata is a slender shrub that typically grows up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) high and 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) wide and has drooping branchlets. Its leaves overlap each other and are egg-shaped to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 1.1–1.5 mm (0.043–0.059 in) long, 0.5–0.7 mm (0.020–0.028 in) wide on a petiole about 0.25 mm (0.0098 in) long and have prominent oil glands. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils on a peduncle 0.5–1.3 mm (0.020–0.051 in) long, each flower 1.5–1.8 mm (0.059–0.071 in) wide. There are 2 white to pale green bracteoles about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long at the base of the flower, but that fall off as the flowers open. The 5 sepals are joined but lack lobes. The 5 petals are white, more or less round and 0.8–1.0 mm (0.031–0.039 in) in diameter. There are five stamens, each opposite a petal, the filaments 0.3–0.4 mm (0.012–0.016 in) long. Flowering has been observed between May and October.[2]
Taxonomy
Micromyrtus carinata was first formally described in 1997 by Anthony Bean in the journal Austrobaileya from specimens collected near Gurulmundi in 1994.[3] The specific epithet (carinata) means "keeled", referring to the petals.[2]
Distribution and habitat
This species of micromyrtus is only known from a small area north-west of Gurulmundi in south-eastern Queensland, where it grows in heath or woodland.[2]