''Baeckea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family,
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...
, all but one
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to Australia. Plants in the genus ''Baeckea'' are shrubs or small trees with leaves arranged in opposite pairs, white to deep pink flowers with five
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
s and five petals, and five to fifteen
stamen
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s that are shorter than the petals.
Description
Plants in the genus ''Baeckea'' are
glabrous
Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...
shrubs, sometimes small trees, usually with the leaves arranged in opposite pairs or
decussate
Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. .
Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...
. The flowers are usually arranged singly in leaf axils on a
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
with two
bracteoles at the base but that sometimes fall off as the flower opens. There are five sepals and five white to deep pink , more or less round petals that are free from each other. Five to fifteen stamens are arranged in a single row and are shorter that the petals and open by parallel slits. The fruit is a
capsule containing many seeds.
[''Baeckia''.]
Flora of China.
Distribution and habitat
Species in the genus ''Baeckea'' are endemic to Australia, apart from ''
B. frutescens'' that also occurs in Malesia.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Baeckea'' was first formally described in 1753 by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
in his ''
Species Plantarum
' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...
''.
The genus is named in honor of the Swedish physician Abraham Bäck (or Baeck) (1713–1795).
[Genaust, H. (1976). ''Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen'' ]
Many species formerly placed in the genus are currently included in the genera ''
Balaustion'', ''
Euryomyrtus'', ''
Harmogia
''Harmogia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. The sole species is ''Harmogia densifolia'' which is endemic to Australia.
''Harmogia densifolia'' is a shrub to 1.5 metres high with linear or terete leaves. White ...
'', ''
Kardomia'', ''
Oxymyrrhine'', ''
Rinzia'', ''
Sannantha'', ''
Seorsus'' and ''
Triplarina''.
The closest genera to ''Baeckea'' are the fleshy-fruited ''
Myrcianthes'' and ''
Acmena'', and the dry-fruited ''
Angophora
''Angophora'' is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to eastern Australia, they differ from other eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, sepals reduced to projec ...
'' and ''
Backhousia
''Backhousia'' is a genus of thirteen currently known species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. All the currently known species are endemic to Australia in the rainforests and seasonally dry forests of Queensland, New South Wales and ...
''.
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus ''Baeckea'':
*''
Baeckea brevifolia''
(Rudge Rudge may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
* Rudge, Shropshire, England, a settlement and civil parish
* Rudge, Somerset, England, a hamlet
* Rugde (Kristiansand), a neighbourhood in Kristiansand, Norway
People
* Rudge (surname)
Other uses
* Rudge C ...
) DC. (N.S.W.)
*''
Baeckea diosmifolia''
Rudge – fringed baeckea (Qld., N.S.W.)
*''
Baeckea elderiana''
Pritz. (W.A.)
*''
Baeckea frutescens
''Baeckea frutescens'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is native to eastern Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia. It is a shrub with arching branches, linear leaves and white flowers with seven to thirteen stamens ...
''
L. (S.E. Asia, New Guinea, Qld., N.S.W.)
*''
Baeckea gunniana''
S.Schauer ex Walp. – alpine baeckea (N.S.W., Vic., Tas.)
*''
Baeckea imbricata''
( Gaertn.) Druce – heath myrtle (Qld., N.S.W.)
*''
Baeckea kandos''
A.R.Bean (N.S.W.)
*''
Baeckea latifolia''
(Benth.) A.R.Bean (N.S.W., Vic.)
*''
Baeckea leptocaulis
''Baeckea leptocaulis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a shrub with linear leaves and small white flowers with five or six stamens.
Description
''Baeckea leptocaulis'' is a shrub that ...
''
Hook.f. (Tas.)
*''
Baeckea leptophylla''
( Turcz.) Domin (W.A.)
*''
Baeckea linifolia''
Rudge – swamp baeckea, weeping baeckea, flax-leaf heath myrtle (Qld., N.S.W., Vic.)
*''
Baeckea muricata''
C.A.Gardner (W.A.)
*''
Baeckea omissa''
A.R.Bean (Qld., N.S.W.)
*''
Baeckea pentagonantha''
F.Muell.
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria (state), Vic ...
(W.A.)
*''
Baeckea robusta''
F.Muell. (W.A.)
*''
Baeckea staminosa''
Pritz. (W.A.)
*''
Baeckea subcuneata''
F.Muell. (W.A.)
*''
Baeckea trapeza''
A.R.Bean (Qld.)
*''
Baeckea utilis''
F.Muell. ex Miq. – mountain baeckea (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic.)
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q137714
Myrtaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus