Species profile—Micromyrtus carinata (Gurulmundi heath-myrtle)
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Myrtaceae → Micromyrtus carinata (Gurulmundi heath-myrtle)
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Scientific name
- Micromyrtus carinata A.R.Bean
- Common name
- Gurulmundi heath-myrtle
- WildNet taxon ID
- 18706
- Alternate name(s)
- Gurulmundi micromyrtus
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Endangered
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Short Notes
- status annotated by author
- Description
- Micromyrtus carinata is a shrub growing to 2.5 m high, with branchlets which are somewhat pendulous. The bark is grey, closely adhering, with shallow longitudinal fissures. The stem flanges are grey, slightly convex, not winged or warty, with entire margins. The leaves are opposite, imbricate, obovate to oblanceolate, 1.1 to 1.5 mm long and 0.5 to 0.7 mm wide. The dorsal leaf surface is not keeled, is glabrous, with prominent oil glands. The leaf apex is obtuse, the margins are entire or rarely denticulate, and the petioles are 0.2 to 0.25 mm long. The flowers are 1.5 to 1.8 mm across, solitary, axillary, with peduncles 0.5 to1.3 mm long. There are 2 bracteoles, white to pale green, acute, 0.5 mm long and deciduous. The 5 petals are pale and yellow, orbicular, 0.8 to 0.9 mm long and 0.9 to 1.0 mm wide, with a prominent central longitudinal keel. The oil glands are prominent on the lower petal surfaces. The petal margins are entire. The fruit is indehiscent, not enlarged. The seeds have not been seen.
M. carinata is closely allied to M. gracilis and M. albicans. M. carinata differs from M. gracilis by its smaller flowers and the shorter hypanthium, and the thick, prominently keeled, yellow petals. M. carinata differs from M. albicans by the absence of calyx lobes, perpendicular disc, and keeled yellow petals (Bean, 1997). - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Micromyrtus carinata is endemic to a small area to the north-west of Gurulmundi, on the crest of the Great Dividing Range. The species occurs east of Chinchilla and north west of Miles. M. carinata occurs within the Gurulmundi State Forest (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Distributional limits
- -26.3998126, 149.875
-26.610087, 150.9491517 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Micromyrtus carinata inhabits the tops of laterised ridges, on shallow to deep, yellow or red sands. Associated species and vegetation include: heath dominated by this species and Triodia sp., Homalocalyx polyandrus, Corymbia trachyphloia and E. exserta also present; pale red-brown sand over hard brown loam with associated species including recently burnt Callitris sp. / Eucalyptus exserta woodland with sparse understorey of Melichrus sp.; low open shrubland of Acacia triptera; and Acacia triptera shrubland with scattered Melaleuca nodosa (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Reproduction
- Flowers and fruits of Micromyrtus carinata have been collected between May and October, but it probably flowers at any time of year, in response to rain (Bean, 1997, Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Threatening processes
- Threatening processes to Micromyrtus carinata include mining activity and gravel extraction, and inappropriate fire regimes (Bean, 1997).
- Status notes
- Micromyrtus carinata is listed as Endangered under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
- References
- Bean, A.R. (1997). A revision of Micromyrtus Benth. (Myrtaceae) in Queensland. Austrobaileya 4 (4): 464-466.
Queensland Herbarium (2012). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 20/03/2012. - Profile author
- Lynise Wearne (16/03/2012)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=18706.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
