Blunt-leaf heath

Appearance

Growing up to a metre tall, "Epacris obtusifolia" is a dainty shrub with tiny elliptic leaves which measure 6.4 to 11.5 mm long and 1.5 to 3.1 mm wide. Appearing mainly from July to January, the white bell-shaped flowers are arranged along the stems. Although only 4–8 mm long, their numbers make them conspicuous.

Naming

The specific epithet "obtusifolia" is derived from Latin, referring to the thickly tipped blunt leaves. The original specimen was collected in Sydney in the early colonial years. And it was first recorded in scientific literature in the year 1805, published by the eminent English botanist James Edward Smith.

Distribution

Found in New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range, as well as Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania, "Epacris obtusifolia" is found in wet heathland. In the Sydney region it is associated with such plants as coral fern, swamp banksia, and the sedge "Lepidosperma limicola". Plants live between ten and twenty years, and are killed by fire and regenerate from seed which lies dormant in the soil. The seedlings reach flowering age within four years.