Baeckea is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), comprising shrubs and small trees native almost entirely to Australia. The genus was formally established by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in his Species Plantarum, making it one of the earlier Australian plant genera described by European science.
Plants in the genus are characteristically glabrous (hairless) shrubs, occasionally growing as small trees. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs or in a decussate pattern. Flowers are borne singly in the axils of leaves on slender pedicels, each with two bracteoles at the base that sometimes fall as the flower opens. The calyx has five sepals, and the five petals are free from one another and range from white to deep pink. Stamens number five to fifteen, are arranged in a single row, are shorter than the petals, and open by parallel slits. The fruit is a dry capsule containing many seeds.
All but one species in Baeckea are endemic to Australia, distributed across a range of habitats including heath, woodland, and montane zones. The sole exception, Baeckea frutescens, extends beyond Australia into Malesia, covering parts of Southeast Asia and New Guinea.
The taxonomy of the group has been significantly revised: many species once placed in Baeckea have been redistributed to related genera including Balaustion, Euryomyrtus, Harmogia, Kardomia, Oxymyrrhine, Rinzia, Sannantha, Seorsus, and Triplarina. The genus's closest relatives within Myrtaceae are the fleshy-fruited Myrcianthes and Acmena, and the dry-fruited Angophora and Backhousia.
Etymology
The genus name Baeckea honors Abraham Bäck (also spelled Baeck; 1713–1795), a Swedish physician. It was coined by Carl Linnaeus when he formally described the genus in Species Plantarum (1753).
Distribution
Nearly all species of Baeckea are endemic to Australia, occurring across eastern and western states including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia. Baeckea frutescens is the single exception, with a range that extends into Malesia (Southeast Asia and New Guinea).
Taxonomy Notes
The circumscription of Baeckea has contracted considerably since Linnaeus's original description. Many former members have been transferred to segregate genera: Balaustion, Euryomyrtus, Harmogia, Kardomia, Oxymyrrhine, Rinzia, Sannantha, Seorsus, and Triplarina. Within Myrtaceae, the genus is most closely allied to Myrcianthes and Acmena (fleshy-fruited) and to Angophora and Backhousia (dry-fruited).
