Taxandria juniperina

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Juniperina meaning Juniper like.

Occurs from Forest Grove and Scott River east to the Kalgan River and Waychinicup. Grows on the margins of winter-wet or permanent swamps or watercourses, sometimes forming dense thickets.

Tree or upright shrub to 27 m tall. Note though that very small young plants flower. Leaves typically linear, flat or concave above and convex below, 7–13 mm long, 0.3–1.5 mm wide, hairless apart form some appresed marginal hairs, tip pointed with a very short mucro (exposed tip to vein). The leaves are 'soft' to the touch, very unlike the coarse, rigid leaves of Taxandria fragrans which may occur nearby.

Flowers in globular clusters 6-8 mm across on short axillary shoots, bracts and bracteoles may be hairless or somewhat hairy, sepals hairless and with a pointed tip. Petals white. Stamens 10, one opposite each sepal and petal.

Fruits in roughly globular clusters, typically 8–10 mm across. Each capsule roughly cup-shaped 2.5–3 mm across hairless or downy.

Flowers mainly February to May, the petals persisting for several months; fruits mainly September to December and persisting until the following season or occasionally longer.







 

All photographs (c) Keith Morris, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) unless otherwise indicated.

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