''Hypocalymma angustifolium'', the white myrtle, is a species of shrub 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 spe ...

, endemic 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 sepa ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

. The

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

peoples know the plant as koodgeed or kudjidi. It grows up to 1.5 metres in height and has arching stems with narrow leaves. White or white and deep pink flowers are produced between June and October (early winter to mid spring) in its native range. The species was first formally described by botanist

Stephan Endlicher Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. ...

in 1837 as ''Leptospermum angustifolium.'' The species was transferred to the genus ''

Hypocalymma ''Hypocalymma'' is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the myrtle family Myrtaceae described as a genus in 1840. The entire genus is endemic to southern Western Australia. Species list The following is a list of formally described ''Hypocalymma'' sp ...

'' in 1843 by

Johannes Schauer Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' ...

Cultivation

This species can be maintained as a well-rounded bush in cultivation and is suitable for growing in a container. It requires good drainage and prefers a position in partial shade, protected from heat and wind. It has a degree of frost-resistance. Flowering stems may be cut for floral arrangements The growth of the species is dry and fragile and an exposed plant is liable to be blown sideways, becoming a poor shape, with bare wood. In shelter, however, with adequate water and with yearly pruning for bushy growth, a more lush plant results which will live a good number of years with continued care. When five years old it will probably be a dense shrub 1 m high with flexible, thin weeping branches.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5959243 angustifolium Endemic flora of Western Australia Rosids of Western Australia Taxa named by Stephan Endlicher