''Leptospermum nitidum'', commonly known as shiny tea-tree, is a species of compact 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 Tasmania. It has crowded, aromatic, elliptical leaves, white flowers about in diameter and fruit that remain on the plants until it is burned or dies.

Description

''Leptospermum nitudum'' is a densely foliaged, compact shrub that typically grows to a height of and has scaly bark. The leaves are aromatic, mostly

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 ...

, elliptical, long, wide and glossy, usually with a sharp point on the tip and tapering at the base to a short petiole. The flowers are white, about wide and arranged on the ends of leafy side branches. There are golden brown bracts and

bracteoles 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 ...

at the base of the flower buds but that usually fall off before the flower opens. The floral cup is long with triangular

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 mostly 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 are 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 filam ...

s long. Flowering occurs in January and the fruit is a capsule long with the sepals attached and that remains on the plant at maturity.

Taxonomy and naming

''Leptospermum nitidum'' was first formally described in 1856 by English botanist

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of ...

in ''The Botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery ships Erebus and Terror. III. Flora Tasmaniae'' based on specimens collected by

Ronald Gunn Ronald Campbell Gunn, FRS, (4 April 1808 – 13 March 1881) was a South African-born Australian botanist and politician. Early life Gunn was born at Cape Town, Cape Colony, (now South Africa), the son of William Gunn, lieutenant in the Britis ...

. 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 ...

(''nitidum'') is a Latin word meaning "shining" or "bright".

Distribution and habitat

Shiny tea-tree grows in cold, moist, heath and is widespread in Tasmania, including on

Cape Barren Island Cape Barren Island, officially truwana / Cape Barren Island, is a island in the Bass Strait, off the north east coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the second largest island of the Furneaux Group; Flinders Island lies to the north, with the ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q768407 nitidum Myrtales of Australia Endemic flora of Tasmania Plants described in 1856 Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker