Homoranthus decasetus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Homoranthus decasetus
Homoranthus decasetus in the ANBG
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Homoranthus
Species:	H. decasetus
Binomial name
Homoranthus decasetus Byrnes
Occurrence data from AVH
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Homoranthus decasetus is a unique plant that belongs to the myrtle family. It is found only in a small part of central Queensland, Australia. This plant has tiny, thin leaves and pretty flowers that change color to purple as they get older.

What Does It Look Like?

Homoranthus decasetus is a type of shrub that stands upright. It usually grows to be about 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall. Its leaves grow in pairs, one on each side of the stem. They are shaped like a club, slightly curved, and round when you look at them from the end. Each leaf is about 12 millimeters (half an inch) long and 1 millimeter wide.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers grow one by one on short branches, right where a leaf meets the stem. When the flower buds first appear, they have small leaf-like parts called bracteoles at their base. These fall off as the flower grows.

The base of the flower, called the calyx, looks like an urn and has five ridges on the outside. Each of its five main parts (sepals) has two tiny bristles, up to 4 millimeters long, at its tip. The petals are round and about 2 millimeters across. Inside the flower, there are ten stamens (which make pollen) and ten staminodes (which look like stamens but don't make pollen). These are all attached to the base of the calyx.

When the flowers first open, they are white. But as they get older, they slowly change color to red or purple. After the flower, a fruit forms. It's about the same size as the flower and holds just one seed, which has a small wing to help it spread. This plant can flower and produce fruit at different times throughout the year.

How It Was Named

The plant Homoranthus decasetus was officially described in 1981 by a botanist named Norman Byrnes. He studied a plant sample collected in Isla Gorge National Park in 1977. The name decasetus is special because it means "ten bristles." This refers to the ten bristles found on the tips of the calyx parts of its flowers.

Where It Lives

This plant is found only in a specific area of central Queensland. You can find it between the towns of Rolleston, Theodore, and Taroom. It usually grows in woodland areas that have rocky ground and shallow, sandy soil.

Conservation Status

Homoranthus decasetus is not a very common plant, but it is well-protected. It grows in several national parks, which helps keep it safe. Experts have given it a special conservation code, 3RCa, which means it's considered uncommon but not currently in danger of disappearing.