Osbeckia australiana Naudin

Species

Angiosperms > Myrtales > Melastomataceae > Osbeckia

Characteristics

Bushy shrub to 2 m high. Leaves often sublinear, sometimes narrowly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3-veined; lamina c. 2–6 cm long and 2–13 mm wide. Inflorescence terminal, paniculate, 1–5-flowered. Flowers 5-merous. Hypanthium c. 5–6 mm long and 4–6 mm diam., densely covered with emergences. Calyx lobes triangular to narrowly triangular, sparsely pubescent externally; intersepalar emergences narrowly oblong to triangular, with hairs at margin and apex. Petals purple to mauve or crimson. Stamens 10; anthers with a broad, indistinct beak; connective with an indistinct or absent collar. Ovary summit densely pubescent, also with a setose crown. Fruit c. 7 mm long and 7 mm diam.
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A slender shrub. It grows to 1.5-2 m high and spreads 0.5-1.5 m wide. The leaves and stem are hairy. The leaves are opposite and narrow. The have hairs on both sides. The leaf blade is 3-7 cm long by 0.4-0.9 cm wide. It is dull green above and has 3 distinct veins along it. The flowers are purple with yellow stamens in the centre. There are 5 petals. The flowers are 1.5-4 cm across. The flowers occur singly at or near the ends of branches. The fruit have a woolly pulp of fibres. They are nearly round and 0.8-1.2 cm across. They are cream-brown when ripe. There are many small seeds inside.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.5 - 1.5
Mature height (meter) 1.75 - 2.0
Root system -
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Flower color
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Nitrogen fixer -
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Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in sandstone country on moist shady banks near freshwater streams. Plants need shade. It grows in monsoonal rainforests in northern Australia. It is damaged by frost. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
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Grows in swampy or seasonally wet areas, often in sandy soils.
Light -
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Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The young fruit are eaten raw.
Uses -
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
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Germination luminosity -
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Distribution

Osbeckia australiana world distribution map, present in Australia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:574012-1
WFO ID wfo-0000159260
COL ID 74Z28
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Osbeckia koolpinyahensis Osbeckia australiana