Myrsine howittiana
1 Brush Muttonwood at Wattamolla, NSW
Identify this sighting
| Myrsine howittiana | plants | 26 May 2025 | |
| Myrsine variabilis | JasonPStewart | 26 May 2025 | |
| Myrsine howittiana | WattaWanderer | 28 Aug 2020 |
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User's notes
I am not 100 % sure about my ID so please correct!
Sadly the photo of the trunk didn’t work out, it was cylindrical, smooth and very pale.
8 comments
28 Aug 2020
Initially thought okay, then I was wondering.
Somethings about leaves not quite right, but I could be wrong.
Somethings about leaves not quite right, but I could be wrong.
30 Mar 2022
The growing shoot is distinctive in this species as far as I'm aware, so a close-up of the end of a branch could be helpful with ID. Otherwise flowers and fruit if possible would assist ID.
9 Apr 2022
Hey Patrick, I haven’t used NatureMapr for a rather long time, I thought it was shutting down? I have been through the process of migrating sighting to iNaturalist and contribute sightings there now. It looks like there is still some activity here?
26 May 2025
After searching hard around the full resolution of these three photographs, i observe some of this plant's lowest leaves have occasional teeth on their margins,
– characteristics of _Myrsine variabilis_ ,
along with the petioles and growing tips lack of dense (pubescent) red (rusty coloured) hairs.
And the petioles and growing tips do not have the dense (pubescent) red (rusty coloured) hairs,
– characteristics of _Myrsine howittiana_ .
References:
• Flora of NSW online PlantNet:
PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System).
Myrsine variabilis R.Br. → https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Myrsine~variabilis
Myrsine howittiana (Mez) Jackes → https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Myrsine~howittiana
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney.
Viewed: 2025 May 26th
• Jackes, Betsy R. (2005 October 27th)
Revision of Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) in Australia.
Australian Systematic Botany 18 (5) : 399–438
https://doi.org/10.1071/SB04022 .
– characteristics of _Myrsine variabilis_ ,
along with the petioles and growing tips lack of dense (pubescent) red (rusty coloured) hairs.
And the petioles and growing tips do not have the dense (pubescent) red (rusty coloured) hairs,
– characteristics of _Myrsine howittiana_ .
References:
• Flora of NSW online PlantNet:
PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System).
Myrsine variabilis R.Br. → https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Myrsine~variabilis
Myrsine howittiana (Mez) Jackes → https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Myrsine~howittiana
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney.
Viewed: 2025 May 26th
• Jackes, Betsy R. (2005 October 27th)
Revision of Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) in Australia.
Australian Systematic Botany 18 (5) : 399–438
https://doi.org/10.1071/SB04022 .
26 May 2025
Yep, so does Myrsine variabilis have teeth on leaves' margins, furthermore into older growth .
26 May 2025
Betsy Jackes scholarly revision provides the botanical key features of, first, the hairs on the pedicels, petioles and growing tips .
Leaves' margins' teeth have secondary information value (of course: Secondary info value ≠ no info value) .
Primary here in this sighting i used the petioles' and growing tips' hairs;
secondarily the lower foliage on this well establish plant has leaves' margins' teeth;
secondarily also the leaf adaxial surface appearance differs between these two species.
Primarily, the petioles' and growing tips' hairs of this plant, do not fit _Myrsine howittiana_ and do fit _Myrsine variabilis_ .
Betsy Jackes reference again – @plants happy to get this article PDF to you (if you don't readily have access) :
• Jackes, Betsy R. (2005 October 27th)
Revision of Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) in Australia.
Australian Systematic Botany 18 (5) : 399–438
https://doi.org/10.1071/SB04022 .
Leaves' margins' teeth have secondary information value (of course: Secondary info value ≠ no info value) .
Primary here in this sighting i used the petioles' and growing tips' hairs;
secondarily the lower foliage on this well establish plant has leaves' margins' teeth;
secondarily also the leaf adaxial surface appearance differs between these two species.
Primarily, the petioles' and growing tips' hairs of this plant, do not fit _Myrsine howittiana_ and do fit _Myrsine variabilis_ .
Betsy Jackes reference again – @plants happy to get this article PDF to you (if you don't readily have access) :
• Jackes, Betsy R. (2005 October 27th)
Revision of Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) in Australia.
Australian Systematic Botany 18 (5) : 399–438
https://doi.org/10.1071/SB04022 .
Location information
- Coordinates 150.647658-34.725706
- Altitude 165.8m
- Places Wattamolla, NSW
Sighting information
- At least 1 Abundance
- 26 Aug 2020 03:04 AM Recorded on
- WattaWanderer Recorded by
Collections
Species information
- Myrsine howittiana Scientific name
- Brush Muttonwood Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 661.37m Recorded at altitude
Seasonal activity
-
Was the plant in flower?
JFMAMJJASOND
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- Additional attributes