Kunzea eriocalyx is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is endemic to a restricted area on the south coast of Western Australia, where it occurs in rocky quartzite outcrops and sandy‑clay lateritic soils. The plant is a low shrub, typically 0.5–1 m (2–3 ft) tall, with spreading main stems, few short side branches, and linear, slightly woolly leaves.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Tracheophytes → Angiosperms → Eudicots → Rosids
- Order: Myrtales
- Family: Myrtaceae
- Genus: Kunzea
- Species: K. eriocalyx
The species was first formally described in 1860 by the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. The specific epithet eriocalyx derives from the Ancient Greek words erion (“wool”) and kalyx (“cup” or “sepals”), referring to the plant’s woolly floral cup.
Description
Kunzea eriocalyx is a shrub with spreading stems and few short side branches. Leaves are clustered at the ends of side branches, linear in shape, 2.5–4.5 mm long and less than 1 mm wide, often appearing woolly. Flowers are arranged in heads of five to seven at branch tips, each head surrounded by hairy bracts. The floral cup (hypanthium) is 2.5–3 mm long; sepals are lance‑shaped, hairy, about 1 mm long; petals are pink, 1.5–2 mm long; and the flower contains eleven to fifteen stamens. Flowering occurs from August to October, producing pink blossoms. The fruit is an urn‑shaped capsule that retains the attached sepals.
Distribution and habitat
The species is confined to a small coastal region at the boundary of the Great Southern and Goldfields‑Esperance regions of Western Australia, centred around the Fitzgerald River National Park. It typically grows among quartzite rock outcrops in sandy‑clay lateritic soils.
Conservation status
Kunzea eriocalyx is classified as “Priority Two” by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. This designation indicates that the species is poorly known and known from only one or a few locations, rendering it potentially vulnerable to habitat disturbance.
References
- Mueller, F. (1860). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.
- Toelken, H. (1996). “A Revision of the Genus Kunzea (Myrtaceae) I. The Western Australian section Zeanuk.” Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden 17: 103–104.
- Western Australian Flora databases (FloraBase, Atlas of Living Australia).
