''Gaudium multicaule'', commonly known as the silver tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to south eastern Australia. It has linear, narrow elliptical or narrow egg-shaped leaves, white or pink flowers usually borne singly on short side shoots, and fruit the falls from the plant soon after the seeds are released.

Description

''Gaudium multicaule'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of and has smooth bark that is shed from the smaller stems in stringy strips. The leaves are linear, narrow elliptical to narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide, tapering to a very short, broad petiole. The flowers are usually borne singly, sometimes in pairs on short side shoots, and are white or pink and wide. There are broad reddish brown

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s at the base of the flower bud but which fall off as the flower opens. The floral cup is covered with flattened, silky hairs and about long on a pedicel less than long. The sepals are triangular, long, the

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

s about 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 filame ...

s less than long. Flowering mainly occurs from October to November and the fruit is a hemispherical capsule wide with the remains of the sepals attached, but which fall from the plant soon after the seeds are released.

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first described in 1825 by Allan Cunningham who gave it the name ''Leptospermum multicaule'' in a Chapter entitled ''On the Botany of the Blue Mountains'' in Barron Field's book ''Geographical Memoirs on New South Wales''. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

specimens were collected near Bathurst. In 2023,

Peter Gordon Wilson Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

transferred the species to the genus ''Gaudium'' as ''G. multicaule'' in the journal '' Taxon''.

Distribution and habitat

Silver tea-tree grows in woodland and on dry hillsides south from the Bathurst district in New South Wales through the Australian Capital Territory to northern Victoria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15369354 multicaule Myrtales of Australia Flora of the Australian Capital Territory Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Plants described in 1825 Taxa named by Allan Cunningham (botanist)