Phymatocarpus is a genus of in the family Myrtaceae and is endemism to the south-west of Western Australia. All three species are shrubs with pink to purple flowers.
Description
Plants in the genus
Phymatocarpus are shrubs which grow to a height of . Their leaves are small and are dotted with oil glands. The flowers are arranged in almost spherical heads on the ends of the branches and have 5 oval
, 5
and up to 75
. The stamens are in a ring around the
hypanthium, but above the ring are joined in 5 bundles. The stamens are all longer than the petals and give the flowers their pink to purple colour. The fruit is a woody capsule.
Taxonomy and naming
The genus was first described in 1862 by the Victorian government botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller in
Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.
The first species he described was
Phymatocarpus porphyrocephalus.
[ Mueller, Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von. 1862. Fragmenta Phytographiæ Australiæ 3: 120-121 in Latin] The name
Phymatocarpus is derived from the
Ancient Greek phymatos (plural of
phyma) meaning "tubercle" or "swelling"
and
καρπός (karpós) meaning "fruit"
in reference to the fruiting capsules being lumpy.
The three species are:[ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
-
Phymatocarpus interioris Craven
-
Phymatocarpus maxwellii F.Muell.
-
Phymatocarpus porphyrocephalus F.Muell.
Distribution and habitat
All three species of
Phymatocarpus occur in sandy soils in the south-west of Western Australia.
Conservation
All species of
Phymatocarpus are classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.
