Muniria lanceolata facts for kids

Muniria lanceolata is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the mint family, called Lamiaceae. You can only find it in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. This plant is a shrub with branches and leaves that are covered in short, greyish, fuzzy hairs. It has pretty red flowers that grow near the ends of its branches.

What it Looks Like

Muniria lanceolata is a shrub that usually grows about 1–2 m (3–7 ft) tall. Its branches have four distinct corners when you look at them closely. The branches, leaves, and even some parts of the flowers are covered in short, grey, branched hairs.

The leaves have a thin stem, or stalk, that is about 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long. The main part of the leaf, called the blade, is shaped like an oval or a spearhead. It measures 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 6–20 mm (0.2–0.8 in) wide. The top surface of the leaves is dark green and looks a bit wrinkled.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers grow either by themselves or in small groups of up to three. They appear where the leaves meet the stem, near the ends of the branches. Each flower sits on a short, hairy stalk that is 1–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) long.

Around the flowers, there are special leaf-like parts called bracts. These are similar in size and shape to the regular leaves. There are also smaller parts called bracteoles. The flower has five sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the bud. They are 10–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long, hairy, and joined together for about half their length, forming a tube.

The petals of the flower are red and measure 20–27 mm (0.8–1 in) long. They are joined together to form a tube that is 14–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long. The outside of this tube is very fuzzy, but the inside is mostly smooth. There is a small ring of hairs around the ovary (where the seeds develop) and a few hairs on the largest petal.

The end of the petal tube has five lobes, or sections. The bottom, middle lobe is usually round and measures 4–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide at its base. This lobe is bigger than the other four, which are all similar in size and shape. There are four stamens (the parts that produce pollen) that stick out past the end of the petal tube. The lower pair of stamens are longer than the upper ones.

This plant can flower in most months of the year. After flowering, it produces fruit. The fruit is oval-shaped, has four clear ridges, and is hairy at one end.

How it Got its Name

This plant was first officially described in 1979 by a scientist named Ahmad Abid Munir. He studied a plant sample collected near Oenpelli. He first named it Pityrodia lanceolata. His description was published in a scientific book called Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

Later, in 2011, other scientists including Barry Conn, Murray Henwood, and Nicola Streiber created a new group of plants called Muniria. They then moved this plant into that new group. The second part of its scientific name, lanceolata, is a Latin word. It means "lancelike," which describes the shape of its leaves.

Where it Lives

You can only find Muniria lanceolata in Arnhem Land, which is in the Northern Territory of Australia. It grows in places like Nitmiluk National Park.

Looking After the Plant

Muniria lanceolata is listed as "least concern" under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. This means that, for now, there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not considered to be in danger of disappearing.