Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Philotheca myoporoides

Flowering stem (subsp. acuta). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Manna State Forest near Condobolin

Flower and leaves (subsp. brevipedunculata). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer L Vallee, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Flowering stems and flower buds (subsp. brevipedunculata). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Morton National Park

Flowering stem (subsp. myoporoides). Photographer Don Wood, Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens north of Moruya

Shrub (subsp. myoporoides). Photographer Ilma Dunn, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board, Melbourne, Vic

Line drawings. (subsp. myoporioides). j. flowering branch; flower; stamen. T Brosch, National Herbarium of Victoria, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board

Common name

Long-leaf Wax Flower, Suggan Buggan Wax-flower (subsp. brevipedunculata in Vic)

Family

Rutaceae

Where found

Forest, woodland, heath, shrubland, rocky sites, and along streams. 

subsp. acuta:  Mainly Western Slopes west from the Olympic Highway. Occasionally elsewhere. Doubtfully naturalised in the ACT.

subsp. brevipedunculata:  Ranges and tablelands north from Deua National Park.

subsp. myoporoides:  Widespread.

Notes

Shrub, rarely a tree, to 4.5 m high. Stems cylindrical, sometimes glaucous, hairless, densely to faintly warty with oil glands. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, alternating up the stems, 1–15.5 cm long, 4–33 mm wide, more or less flat or somewhat folded, papery to leathery, surfaces often darker above and paler beneath, dotted with many small oil glands or glandular-warty, hairless, midrib prominent, margins entire, tips pointed to rounded, often with a short mucro or with a small abrupt point. Flowers white to pink, with 5 petals each 6-12 mm long. Stamens free from each other, the filaments usually hairy from the base, sometimes cohering by intertwined hairs. Flowers in clusters of 1-8. Flowers most of the year.

Intergrades with Philotheca buxifolia and with Philotheca scabra.

Protected NSW.

subsp. acuta:  Stems densely warty. Leaves 1.5–4 cm long, 4–8 mm wide. Stalks of flower clusters 0–7 mm long, stalks of individual flowers 1–10 mm long. Flowers in clusters of 1–5.

subsp. brevipedunculata:  Stems densely warty. Leaves oblong-elliptic to oval with a pointed tip, 1–3 cm long, 4–10 mm wide. Stalks of flower clusters 0–2 mm long, stalks of individual flowers 4–8 mm long. Flowers in 1-4 flowered clusters.

Vulnerable Vic.

subsp. myoporoides:  Stems moderately to faintly warty. Leaves 2–15.5 cm long, 5–33 mm wide. Stalks of flower clusters 0.5–20 mm long, stalks of individual flowers 4–10 mm long. Flowers in clusters of 2–8.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Philotheca~myoporoides  (accessed 17 January, 2021)