Leptospermum arachnoides, commonly known as the spidery tea-tree,[2] is a species of shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough bark, crowded linear to lance-shaped leaves with a sharp point on the end, white flowers and hairy fruit.
| Spidery tea-tree | |
|---|---|
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| Flowers of Leptospermum arachnoides in the Royal National Park | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Leptospermum |
| Species: | L. arachnoides
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| Binomial name | |
| Leptospermum arachnoides | |
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editLeptospermum arachnoides is a slender, spreading shrub that typically grows to 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) high and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) wide and has rough, peeling, flaky bark. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped or elliptical, mostly 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long, 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) wide, concave in cross-section, with a sharp point on the end and on a very short but broad petiole. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils and are 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter with a hairy floral cup about 2 mm (0.079 in) long. The sepals are about 2 mm (0.079 in) long and hairy, the petals about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and white, the stamens are about 2 mm (0.079 in) long. Flowering occurs from November to January and the fruit is a hairy capsule 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) in diameter.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy and naming
editLeptospermum arachnoides was first formally described in 1788 by Joseph Gaertner in his book De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum.[6][7] The specific epithet (‘’arachnoides’’) is derived from Latin, meaning "resembling a spider".[2]
Distribution and habitat
editSpidery tea-tree grows in moist heath and sclerophyll forest, usually on shallow soils derived from sandstone and granite. It occurs between south-east Queensland and the Tinderry Range in New South Wales.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Leptospermum arachnoides". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ a b c Les Robinson – Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, ISBN 978-0-7318-1211-0 page 52
- ^ a b "Leptospermum arachnoides". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ "Leptospermum arachnoides". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Carolin, Roger C.; Tindale, Mary D. (1993). Flora of the Sydney region (4th ed.). Reed. p. 395. ISBN 0730104001.
- ^ "Leptospermum arachnoides". APNI. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Gaertner, Joseph (1788). De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum (Volume1). Stuttgart: Sumtibus Auctoris, Typis Academiae Carolinae. p. 174. Retrieved 19 March 2020.