Kingdom Plantae Family Myrtaceae Scientific name Rhodamnia maideniana | Order Myrtales Genus Rhodamnia Rank Species | |
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Similar Rhodamnia, Rhodamnia rubescens, Cupaniopsis newmanii, Archidendron muellerianum, Lepiderema pulchella | ||
Rhodamnia maideniana, known as the Smooth Scrub Turpentine is a rare sub-tropical rainforest plant of eastern Australia. It is listed on ROTAP with a rarity factor of 2RC-.
It occurs in coastal areas, north of the Richmond River, New South Wales and adjacent areas over the border into Queensland. A bushy shrub growing to 3 metres tall. The type specimen was collected by the Richmond River in April, 1891 by W. Bäuerlen.
The Generic name Rhodamnia is derived from the Greek Rhodon which means "rose". And aminon, "bowl" where the blood of lambs was poured after sacrifice. It refers to the bowl shaped calyx tubes. The specific epithet is named for the Australian botanist, Joseph Maiden.
Leaves are typical of this genus, being clearly three veined, 5 to 10 cm long, 2 to 4.5 cm wide. They are hairless, with a prominent drip tip. Oil dots may clearly be seen under a lens. The bark is similarly typical, being rough, fibrous and flaky. Small white flowers appear in late spring or early summer. The fruit is a black berry, around 10 mm in diameter.