Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Darwinia diminuta

Common name

A Darwinia

Family

Myrtaceae

Where found

Dry forest, shrubland, and heath, in poorly drained sandy soil. Sydney area. Occasionally elsewhere.

Notes

Shrub to 1.5 m high. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, opposite each other, 0.6–1.1 cm long, about 1 mm wide, hairless. Flowers with 5 curved white petals, each 0.8-1.2 mm long, and 5 usually toothed sepals to 1.5 mm long, as long as or slightly longer than the petals, at the top of the floral tube. Floral tube white above the ovary, sometimes becoming red towards the top, 3–5 mm long, warty between the prominent, pointed ribs. Style 4–9 mm long, white. Each flower surrounded by 2 bracteoles 3-5 mm long, yellow-green, falling after the flowers open. Flowers in clusters of 2-4, arranged in pairs. Flowers spring to early summer.

PlantNET description with line drawings and photo of a dried specimen:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Darwinia~diminuta (accessed 9 January, 2021)

Additional information in Briggs, B.G. (1962) The New South Wales Species of Darwinia. Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbarium. 3(3): 140-141, fig. 4c.