Micromyrtus imbricata

Micromyrtus imbricata is a species of the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a slender, erect shrub with broadly egg-shaped leaves, white, pink or red-tinged flowers 4–5 mm in diameter, and 10 stamens.

Description
Micromyrtus imbricata is a slender, erect shrub that typically grows to 0.2–1 m high and is intricately branched. Its leaves are erect to almost pressed against the stem, broadly egg-shaped, 1.5–3 mm long and 1.3–2 mm wide on a petiole 0.4–0.6 mm long. The flowers are 4–5 mm in diameter, and arranged in up to 20 upper leaf axils on a peduncle 1.2–3 mm long with narrowly egg-shaped bracteoles 0.6–2 mm long but that fall off as the flower opens. The sepals are broadly egg-shaped, 0.5–0.8 mm wide and often pink or tinged with red. The petals are white or sometimes pale pink at first, broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base and 1.5–2.3 mm long. There are 10 stamens, the anthers about 0.3 mm long. Flowering mainly occurs between August and November and the fruit is broadly cone-shaped, 1.1–1.4 mm long and 1.0–1.3 mm wide containing a single seed.

Taxonomy
Micromyrtus imbricata was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham in his Flora Australiensis from specimens collected by George Maxwell. The specific epithet (imbricata) means "overlapping".

Distribution and habitat
This species grows on flats along the south coast of Western Australia in the Coolgardie, Esperance Plains and Mallee bioregions, where it grows in sandy soils over granite.