Species profile—Homoranthus papillatus (mouse bush)
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Myrtaceae → Homoranthus papillatus (mouse bush)
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Scientific name
- Homoranthus papillatus Byrnes
- Common name
- mouse bush
- WildNet taxon ID
- 16918
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- CR
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Short Notes
- BRI 219775, status annotated by author
- Description
- Homoranthus papillatus is a low, compact, spreading shrub to about 1 m tall, sometimes with a strong odour. The leaves are opposite, very shortly petiolate, linear, curved, triangular in cross-section, 10 mm long by about 1 mm wide and thick, with oil dots; the surfaces are covered in minute papillae (visible under a microscope only). The flowers are pale yellow, 4 mm long, tubular, with five small petals and a long protruding style 6 to 9 mm long., they occur singly in the upper leaf axils on pedicels 1 to 2 mm long. Bracteoles that enclose the flower buds are 5 mm long, scarious, caducous. The calyx tube is 4 mm long and 1 mm diameter, glabrous, shiny, smooth and distinctly 5-ribbed. The calyx lobes are subulate to 3 mm long. The petals are orbicular, and about 1mm diameter. There are 10 stamens with the filaments about 0.5 mm long. There are 10 staminodes about 0.5 mm long. The ovary is unilocular, containing 8 to 10 ovules borne on a basal placenta. The fruit is dry, similar to the flower, containing 1 to 2 winged seeds (Byrnes, 1981; Stanley, 1986).
Homoranthus papillatus is similar Homoranthus montanus and the latter is known from the Granite Belt at Sundown National Park and Glen Aplin area, although it does not occur in Girraween National Park. Homoranthus papillatus differs from Homoranthus montanus by the absence of the minute papillae from the leaf surfaces and in its taller and more upright growth habit (Byrnes, 1981; Sparshott, 2007). - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Homoranthus papillatus is restricted to Girraween National Park, chiefly in the vicinities of Mount Norman and The Pyramids (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Distributional limits
- -28.8586885, 151.9605555
-28.8681839, 151.970545 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Homoranthus papillatus occurs in pockets of decomposed granite with other heathy shrubs, on high exposed rock pavements and in adjoining heathy eucalypt woodland (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Reproduction
- Homoranthus papillatus flowers from August to November (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Threatening processes
- Potential threats to Homoranthus papillatus are trampling by visitors due to its distribution on high visitation rock pavement areas, and inappropriate fire regimes (Sparshott, 2007).
- Status notes
- Homoranthus papillatus is listed as Vulnerable under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
- Notes
- Occurs in the following Queensland pastoral districts: Darling Downs.
- References
- Byrnes, N. (1981). Notes on the genus Homoranthus. Austrobaileya 1 (4): 373.
Queensland Herbarium (2012). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 19/01/2012.
Sparshott, K. (2007). Protecting the values of Girraween National Park - Comprehensive Vegetation Report. Department of Environment and Resource Management.
Stanley, T.D. in Stanley, T.D. and Ross, E.M. (1986). Flora of South-eastern Queensland 2: 121. - Profile author
- Ronald Booth (04/05/2012)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=16918.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
