Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Euryomyrtus ramosissima
Common name
Rosy baeckea. Nodding baeckea (subsp. prostrata); Rosy heath-myrtle (subsp. ramosissima)
Family
Myrtaceae
Where found
subsp. prostrata. Heathy woodland and coastal heath. Coastal. Mostly Jervis Bay and south of Eden.
subsp. ramosissima. Dry forest, woodland and heath. Coast and ranges north of Port Kembla. Sightings south of Eden.
Notes
Shrub to 0.6 m tall, or sprawling to prostrate. Branches often rooting at the nodes. Stems hairless. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, opposite each other, mostly 0.2-1.4 cm long, 0.5-3 mm wide, dark green, tips pointed or blunt, margins fringed in the upper third of the leaf. Flowers white or pink to deep pink-purple, sometimes tinged red, 3-15 mm in diameter, with 5 petals. Flowers single, rarely in pairs. Flowers Winter to Summer.
subsp. prostrata: Sprawling to prostrate shrub to 0.2 m tall. Leaves 0.3-1 cm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide. Flowers nodding, 3-5 mm in diameter, with white petals, tinged red. Flowers single.
Rare Vic.
subsp. ramosissima: Erect or sprawling to prostrate shrub to 0.6 m tall. Leaves 0.2-1.4 cm long, 1-3 mm wide. Flowers erect, sometimes later nodding, 5-15 mm in diameter, with white to deep pink-purple petals. Flowers single, rarely paired.
According to VICFLORA, some plants from beween Sydney and Jervis Bay are intermediate between the two subspecies.
PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Euryomyrtus~ramosissima (accessed 22 January, 2021)
This identification key and fact sheets are available as a free mobile application:
