Muniria megalophylla facts for kids

Muniria megalophylla 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, which means it's a woody plant smaller than a tree. Its branches and leaves are covered with many short, grey, branched hairs. It also has small groups of reddish-pink flowers that grow near the ends of its branches.

About This Plant

Muniria megalophylla is a shrub that usually grows to be about 1–2 m (3–7 ft) tall. Its branches have a special shape, looking like they have four corners when you cut across them. The branches, leaves, and some parts of the flowers are covered with thick, woolly, grey hairs.

The leaves have a thin stem about 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) long. The leaf blade itself is shaped like an egg, about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 3–5 cm (1–2 in) wide. The bottom of the leaf is shaped like a heart. The top surface of the leaves looks a bit wrinkled, and the bottom surface has a clear network of veins, like tiny roads for water and nutrients.

The flowers grow either alone or, more often, in groups of three to seven. They appear where the leaves meet the stem, near the ends of the branches. Each flower sits on a short, woolly stem about 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. Small, leaf-like parts called bracts and bracteoles surround the flowers.

The flower has five sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the bud. They are about 22 mm (0.9 in) long and are joined together for about half their length, forming a tube. These sepals are hairy on the outside and on the inside of their tips, but smooth inside the tube. The petals are reddish-pink and are 22–27 mm (0.9–1 in) long. They also join together to form a tube, which is about 18–22 mm (0.7–0.9 in) long. This tube is very woolly on the outside. Inside, it's mostly smooth, except for a small ring of hairs around the ovary (where seeds develop) and a few hairs on the largest petal tip.

There are five tips, or lobes, at the end of the petal tube. The bottom, central lobe is round and larger than the others, about 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide at its base. The other four lobes are similar in size and shape. The flower has four stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen. These stamens stick out past the end of the petal tube, with the lower two being longer than the upper two. This plant usually flowers in June. After flowering, it produces fruit that is oblong, has four clear ridges, and is hairy at one end. The fruit is about 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long.

How it Got its Name

This plant was first officially described in 1979 by a scientist named Ahmad Abid Munir. He found a sample of the plant near Yaimanyi Creek in Arnhem Land. At first, he named it Pityrodia megalophylla. The description was published in a scientific journal called Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

Later, in 2011, other scientists named Barry Conn, Murray Henwood, and Nicola Streiber decided to create a new group, or genus, for this plant, which they called Muniria. They then moved this species into the new Muniria genus.

The second part of the plant's scientific name, megalophylla, comes from two Ancient Greek words. Megalo means "large" or "great," and phyllon means "leaf." So, the name megalophylla basically means "large-leaved."

Where it Lives

The only place where Muniria megalophylla is known to grow is its original discovery spot, called the type location. This is near Yaimanyi Creek in Arnhem Land.

Looking After This Plant

Muniria megalophylla is currently listed as "data deficient" under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. "Data deficient" means that there isn't enough information about the plant to know if it's truly endangered or not. More research is needed to understand its population and how well it's doing in the wild.