Taxandria juniperina
Encyclopedia
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
.
or shrub
that usually grows to less than 10 metres (33 ft) as a dense shrub but can grow up to 27 metres (89 ft) in its native environment. It has fibrous brown bark
that is a light red colour on the underside. It grows as a dense shrub in space or as a tall erect tree when part of a thicket
. When the leaves and young stems are bruised they release a spicy perfume from which the plant
is recognised to be a member of the family Myrtaceae
. It is closely related to Leptospermum
(Tea Tree).
The tree has evergreen
foliage with very narrow leaves
, 0.4-2.5 long and about 1 mm wide. The flowers produced by T. juniperina occur between February to November and are described as upright whitish spikes. Each flower
is white with some pink, 5 mm in diameter.
(33° S) to Albany
(35° S). The tree prefers margins of winter-wet or permanent swamp
s or watercourse
s, but grows in a range of soil
types from loam
and peat
to sand
and gravel
.
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
that grows in the south west corner 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...
. This plant was previously classified as Agonis
Agonis
Agonis is a genus of four species in the plant family Myrtaceae. All are endemic to Western Australia, growing near the coast in the south west.Only one, Agonis flexuosa, grows to tree size, the others generally growing as tall shrubs....
juniperina but is now part of the Taxandria
Taxandria (plant)
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....
genus
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...
.
Description
T. juniperina occurs mostly as an erect treeTree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
or 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...
that usually grows to less than 10 metres (33 ft) as a dense shrub but can grow up to 27 metres (89 ft) in its native environment. It has fibrous brown bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
that is a light red colour on the underside. It grows as a dense shrub in space or as a tall erect tree when part of a thicket
Thicket
A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large amounts of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in the shelter of the maternal plants.In some conditions the...
. When the leaves and young stems are bruised they release a spicy perfume from which the plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
is recognised to be a member of 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 closely related to Leptospermum
Leptospermum
Leptospermum is a genus of about 80-86 species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent; but one species extends to New Zealand, another to Malaysia, and L. recurvum is endemic to Malaysia.They...
(Tea Tree).
The tree has evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
foliage with very narrow leaves
Leaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
, 0.4-2.5 long and about 1 mm wide. The flowers produced by T. juniperina occur between February to November and are described as upright whitish spikes. Each flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
is white with some pink, 5 mm in diameter.
Distribution and habitat
T. juniperina occurs in a coastal strip in the south west corner of western Australia from BusseltonBusselton, Western Australia
-Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...
(33° S) to Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
(35° S). The tree prefers margins of winter-wet or permanent swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s or watercourse
Watercourse
A watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
s, but grows in a range of soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
types from loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
and peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
to sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
and gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
.