152 MYRTACEAE 
appearing almost umbellate, terminal and axillary. 
Flower buds clavate, 8-13 mm long. Hypanthium 
2-3 mm long, 1.5-3.5 mm wide. Sepals 4-5, broadly 
triangular, c. 0.4 mm long. Petals 6-8, white, + 
cohering and falling together. Stamens to 5 mm long. 
Fruits succulent, dark red to black, turbinate to ellip- 
Acmenosperma 
soid, to 10 mm long. Seed one, cotyledons ruminate. 
Flowering: Oct - May; fruiting: Nov - May. Fig. 47 
Widely distributed from tropical Australia to China 
and India. In the DR recorded only from Melville Is.; 
on perennial streams in rainforest. 
ASTEROMYRTUS Schauer 
A genus of 7 species of tropical Australia and New Guinea; 4 species in the NT, 1 in the DR. [Craven, 1989] 
A. symphyocarpa (F.Muell.) Craven 
Melaleuca symphyocarpa F.Muell. 
Tree 2-5 m high; bark brown, stem fluted in larger 
trees. Leaves glabrous; petioles 1-2 mm long; blades 
narrowly elliptic, (15)31-75 mm long, (4)8-18 mm 
wide, L/B 3.3-5.3. Inflorescence a spheroidal head. 
Hypanthium sericeous, c. 3 mm long. Sepals 
transversely oblong or semicircular, 1-1.5 mm long. 
Petals clawed, the blades + orbicular, c. 3 mm long. 
Stamens orange, in bundles, connate for c. 2/3 length 
of the bundle, 11-13 per bundle; bundles 12-15 mm 
long. Fruit 10-16 mm diam. Flowering: Dec - Mar, 
July - Sept; fruiting: all year. Fig. 47 
Occurring from Darwin eastward to Cape York and 
New Guinea. In the DR and elsewhere it is usually on 
sandy soils associated with seasonal and permanent 
water. The leaves are used for medicinal purposes by 
various Aboriginal groups (Abor. Comm. NT, 1988). 
CALYTRIX Labill. 
Evergreen shrubs or small trees. Stipules minute. Leaves small, alternate, decussate or verticillate. 
Inflorescence of solitary axillary flowers. Bracteoles free or partly connate. Flowers bisexual, perianth 
peri- or epigynous, 5-merous. Hypanthium (in DR species) produced above the ovary into a tube, free from 
the style. Sepals imbricate, free or slightly connate, usually persistent. Petals deciduous. Stamens many, 1- or 
2-seriate (in DR species); filaments free; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits, connective prominent in DR 
species; staminodes absent in DR species. Ovary 1-locular; ovules 2(4); style persistent in fruit in DR species. 
Fruit dry, hypanthium little changed in fruit; indehiscent. Seed 1. 
Australian endemic; c. 75 species, mostly in south western Australia; 14 species in the NT, 4 in the DR. 
[Craven, 1987; 1990] 
[ee Blowers pinklorjreddish pink errr scrititesreificrssctesenccesectetisresestettessceesee enveperstmseaecteceeassose tases C. exstipulata 
[Meme lowersiwhitepermimeretctsceciertisstesrerterertrestettettiriieisraresrescerspareseyeteretrtereaetenetetereatorsescaes 2 
2. Leaves peltate, ovate-triangular; bracteoles partly connate; small trees «11.0... sees C. arborescens 
2. Leaves not peltate, + linear; bracteoles free; SHTUDS ............secseseeseeerteseeneeteneeneetenteneeteneenes 3 
3. Leaves <2 mm long; primary stems with many short shoots to 13 mm long .........::+e C. achaeta 
3. Leaves 2-11 mm long; short shoots few and scattered on primary Shoots .......::sseseeeee C. brownii 
C. achaeta FMuell. triangular in cross section, c. 1.5 mm long. Flowers 
Shrub to 3 m, rarely taller; whole plant pubescent; 
primary shoots with dense leafy short shoots to c. 
13 mm long. Stipules obscure. Leaves spaced on main 
stems, imbricate on short shoots; petioles closely 
adpressed to branchlets, 0-0.2 mm long; blades + 
mostly solitary, clustered in the upper short shoots. 
Bracteoles obovate, with a broad hyaline margin, c. 
1.5 mm long. Hypanthium obconic, 10-ribbed, 
hirsute, c. 1.5 mm long. Sepals very shortly connate, 
broadly elliptic or ovate, 1-2.3 mm long, ciliate, long 
