''Gossia fragrantissima'', the sweet myrtle or small-leaved myrtle, is a shrub or small tree of eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. A plant with a

ROTAP Rare or Threatened Australian Plants, usually abbreviated to ROTAP, is a list of rare or threatened Australian plant taxa. Developed and maintained by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the most recent edition ...

rating of 3EC-,

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

by extinction. Found in sub tropical

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s near streams, from near

Woodburn, New South Wales Woodburn is a small highway town on the banks of the Richmond River in New South Wales, Australia. Until the town was bypassed in September 2020, the busy Pacific Highway passed through the centre of town. Woodburn is 712 km north of the ...

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 11,187 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town lies in the sub ...

in south eastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It features fragrant flowers, hence the specific epithet ''fragrantissima''. White flowers grow from October to February. The sweet myrtle may grow to seven metres tall. Bark is rough, fawn brown in colour, often flaking off in small particles. The berry matures in January and February, globular in shape, 4 to 6 mm in diameter. It may appear green, yellow, orange or red. The fruit has four persistent calyx lobes. Leaves are opposite on the stem, broad ovate, 1.5 to 5 cm long, 8 to 25 mm wide. An intra-marginal leaf vein is usually absent. Leaves are without toothed edges and have only 5 to 8 lateral veins, only visible on the underside. '' Gossia acmenoides'' and ''

Gossia bidwillii ''Gossia bidwillii'', known as the python tree is a rainforest Myrtaceae, myrtle of eastern Australia.The usual habitat is the drier rainforest areas. The range of natural distribution is from the Hunter River (New South Wales), Hunter River ...

'' have 15 to 20 lateral veins. Regeneration is difficult from seed, and cuttings seldom strike. The former habitat is now mostly destroyed for housing and agriculture.

References

Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Myrtales of Australia Trees of Australia fragrantissima Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Taxa named by George Bentham {{Myrtaceae-stub