Taxandria (plant)
Encyclopedia
Taxandria is a genus
of at least thirteen species
in the plant family Myrtaceae
. All are endemic
to Western Australia
, growing near the coast in the South West corner of the State
.
Most species of Taxandria generally growing as tall shrub
s, but Taxandria juniperina
grows to tree size (up to 27m) and Taxandria linearifolia can grow as a small tree (up to 5m in height).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of at least thirteen species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the plant 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...
. All are endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to 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...
, growing near the coast in the South West corner of the State
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
.
Most species of Taxandria generally growing as tall shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, but Taxandria juniperina
Taxandria juniperina
Taxandria juniperina commonly known as Wattle, Swamp Wattle, Warren River Cedar or Juniper Myrtle is a species of tree that grows in the south west corner of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as Agonis juniperina but is now part of the Taxandria genus.- Description :T...
grows to tree size (up to 27m) and Taxandria linearifolia can grow as a small tree (up to 5m in height).