Regelia punicea (N.Byrnes) Barlow, comb.nov. (Myrtaceae) from the Northern Territory: Phytogeographic implications.

Abstract

On the basis of habit, habitat and floral characters, Melaleuca punicea N. Byrnes from Arnhem Land is more satisfactorily placed in the genus Regelia, which otherwise is confined to the south-west of Western Australia. This disjunct occurrence of a relatively unspecialized member of its group of genera indicates that it is relictual, and that the origin of the group may not have been in the south-west of Western Australia.