Calytrix is a genus of flowering shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae (order Myrtales), comprising roughly 83–87 species. The genus is endemic to Australia, occurring in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia, though the great majority of species are concentrated in the south-west of Western Australia. Members are commonly known as star flowers, a name that reflects the star-like shape of the open blooms.
Plants in the genus range from dwarf to large shrubs, with small, more-or-less round leaves that may overlap or be widely spaced along the stems; stipules, where present, are small. Flowers are borne singly in the leaf axils, each subtended by two bracteoles. The floral tube is typically long and tube-shaped, topped by five overlapping sepals, each drawn out into a long, bristle-like awn — a feature reflected in the genus name itself. Five free, lance-shaped to elliptic petals surround numerous stamens arranged in one or more whorls; the petals fall away as the flower matures. After flowering, the plant produces a small, dry, single-seeded nut.
Calytrix was formally described in 1806 by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière in his work Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen. The first species he described, Calytrix tetragona, was designated the type species for the genus. The generic name Calytrix derives from Greek roots meaning "calyx hair," a direct reference to the distinctive hair-like awns on the sepals that give the flowers their delicate, star-shaped appearance.
Etymology
The genus name Calytrix means "calyx hair," referring to the long, bristle-like awns borne on the tips of the sepals.
Distribution
Calytrix is endemic to Australia, found in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia, but the majority of its species occur in the south-west of Western Australia.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was first formally described in 1806 by Jacques Labillardière in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen. The first species he described, Calytrix tetragona, is the genus's type species. GBIF's backbone places Calytrix in family Myrtaceae, order Myrtales, with 87 accepted descendant taxa, close to Wikipedia's figure of about 83 species.
