Kunzea capitata
Encyclopedia
Kunzea capitata is a shrub species in the family Myrtaceae
. It is native to New South Wales
in Australia
.
The species epithet capitata is derived from the Latin word caput (head), alluding to the arrangement of the flowers.
It was transferred to the genus Kunzea
in 1846 by German botanist Gustav Heynhold
.
.
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
. It is native to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Description
The species has a spreading or erect habit and may grow up to 2 metres in height, but is usually within the range of 0.5 to 1 metre. Flowers are pink to purple, or occasionally white. These are produced on the branch ends in "heads". Leaves are 3.5 to 9 mm long and 1.5 to 4.5 mm wide, with recurved tips and 1mm long petioles.Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by English botanist James Smith in 1797 in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, and given the name Metrosideos capitata.The species epithet capitata is derived from the Latin word caput (head), alluding to the arrangement of the flowers.
It was transferred to the genus Kunzea
Kunzea
Kunzea is a genus of 36-40 species of shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. They are native to Australia, with one species extending to New Zealand. They are found throughout the Australian continent with most species occurring in southwestern Western Australia...
in 1846 by German botanist Gustav Heynhold
Gustav Heynhold
Gustav Heynhold was a German botanist.In 1841, he renamed Arabis thaliana as Arabidopsis thaliana Heynh. in honour of Johannes Thal.His author abbreviation is Heynh.-Works:...
.
Distribution and habitat
The species occurs in heathland and dry sclerophyll forest from the Ulladulla district northward to Richmond RiverRichmond River
The Richmond River is a river in the north-eastern corner of New South Wales, Australia. It runs for approximately 170 km from the foothills of the Border Ranges past the towns of Kyogle, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, where it turns northward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has a...
.