''Leptospermum emarginatum'', commonly known as the twin-flower tea-tree or twin flower teatree, is a species of shrub that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...

to south-eastern Australia. It has rough bark on the older stems, lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and a small notch at the tip, white flowers in groups of up to five and hemispherical fruit that falls off when mature.

Description

''Leptospermum emarginatum'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of . It has rough bark that is shed in stringy strips on the larger branches and smooth bark on the younger stems. The leaves are aromatic, narrow egg-shaped to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, mostly long and wide with a small notch at the tip. The flowers are borne in groups of up to five on short side shoots, each flower in diameter. The

floral cup 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. It of ...

is dark-coloured,

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") 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 o ...

, long, tapering to 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

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s are triangular, long, the

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s white, long and the

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s long in groups of about five. Flowering occurs from November to January and the fruit is a woody, hemispherical

capsule Capsule may refer to: Anatomy * Articular capsule (joint capsule), an envelope surrounding a synovial joint * Bowman's capsule (glomerular capsule), a sac surrounding a glomerulus in a mammalian kidney * Glisson's capsule, a fibrous layer covering ...

wide that falls off the plant after the seeds are released.

Taxonomy and naming

''Leptospermum emarginatum'' was first formally described in 1822 by Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link from an unpublished description by

Heinrich Wendland Heinrich Ludolph (Ludwig) Wendland (29 April 1791, in Hanover – 15 July 1869, in Teplice) was a botanist who authored a number of ''Acacia'' species. Heinrich Wendland was born on 29 April 1791 into a family well known in botany. His father Joh ...

and the description was published in Link's book ''Enumeratio plantarum Horti regii botanici berolinensis altera''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''emarginatum'') is from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

meaning "notched".

Distribution and habitat

The twin-flower tea-tree grows along river banks and rocky creeks in coastal areas south from the

Grose River The Grose River, a perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury- Nepean catchment, is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Grose River rises from north east of Mount Victoria within ...

in New South Wales to near

Heyfield Heyfield is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, with a population of 1,993. It is east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington local government area. Located on the Thomson River (Victoria), Thomson River, Heyfield is a gatewa ...

in Victoria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15368031 emarginatum Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Plants described in 1822