Kunzea pulcella is a shrub in the family Myrtaceae

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 endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, where it occurs on granite outcrops and slopes.

It grows to between 0.6 and 3 metres in height. It is one of two 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...

species that produces red flowers (the other being Kunzea baxteri

Kunzea baxteri

Kunzea baxteri is a shrub in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia, where it occurs on granite outcrops and hills....

) although white and cream coloured forms are also known. The flowers are produced between June and November in its native range.

The species was first formally described by Alex George

Alex George

Alexander Segger George is a Western Australian botanist. He is the authority on the plant genera Banksia and Dryandra...

 in 1966 in The Western Australian Naturalist

The Western Australian Naturalist

The Western Australian Naturalist is the journal of the Western Australian Naturalists' Club. It is a peer-reviewed journal that published original research on topics related to the natural history of Western Australia...

.