''Balaustion bimucronatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the 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 ...

and is

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 the

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrowly egg-shaped to linear leaves with a small point on the end and often with a second point on the keel, and usually white flowers, sometimes with a pink tinge, and 16 to 21

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 ...

Description

''Balaustion bimucronatum'' is a shrub that typically grows to high, about wide. Its leaves are mostly narrowly egg-shaped to linear, long wide and thick on a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

long. The leaves have a small, hard tip on the ends, keel-shaped near the tip, sometimes with a second small tip near the tip, and one or two rows of oil

glands A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

either side of the midvein. The flowers are arranged in pairs, or often singly, usually in diameter, each flower 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 ...

long. The

floral tube In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube."Lec ...

is about long and wide and the

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 are very broadly egg-shaped, long and wide with a pink tinge. The petals are white, sometimes tinged with pink, long with 16 to 21 stamens. Flowering has been recorded in October, and the fruit is a capsule about long and in diameter.

Taxonomy

''Balaustion bimucronatum'' was first formally described in 2022 by

Barbara Lynette Rye Barbara Lynette Rye is an Australian botanist born in 1952. Barbara Rye has been associated with the Western Australian Herbarium, where her work as a taxonomist has been the source of many new descriptions of plants. The number of taxa recorded ...

in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'' from specimens collected in south of Mukinbudin in 2003. The specific epithet (''bimucronatum'') means 'two

mucronate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

', referring to the two points on the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This species of ''Balaustion'' has been recorded southeast of Mukinbudin in the

Avon Wheatbelt The Avon Wheatbelt is a bioregion in Western Australia. It has an area of . It is considered part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion. Geography The Avon Wheatbelt bioregion is mostly a gently undulating landscape with low rel ...

bioregion, where it grows in yellow sand with mallee eucalypts, ''Acacia'' species and ''

Thryptomene kochii ''Thryptomene kochii'' is a shrub species in the family Myrtaceae that is endemic to Western Australia. It typically grows to a height of . It blooms between May and October producing pink-white flowers. This thryptomene is found on plains in th ...

''.

Conservation status

''Balaustion bimucronatum'' is listed as "

Priority One Prioritization is an action that arranges items or activities in order of importance. Priority may refer specifically to: Law * Priority or right of way on the road, see Traffic § Priority (right of way) ** Priority signs, a traffic sign tha ...

" by the Government of Western Australia

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Government of Western Australia, Western Australian government department responsible for managing lands and waters described in the ''Conservation and Land Management A ...

, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations where it is potentially at risk.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q131437013 Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 2022 Taxa named by Barbara Lynette Rye bimucronatum