Kunzea juniperoides is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is a small shrub with narrow leaves and small groups of white flowers near the end of the longer branches. It is distinguished from similar kunzeas by the large number of scale-like perules and bracts surrounding the groups of flowers.
Kunzea juniperoides is a shrub which grows to a height of NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 with its branches hairy when young. The leaves are linear in shape, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and less than 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with a petiole less than 0.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The flowers are arranged in groups of mostly three to eight near the ends of the branches. There are large numbers of broadly egg-shaped bracts NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and smaller paired bracteoles at the base of the flowers. The floral cup is hairy and about 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The sepal lobes are egg-shaped to triangular, about 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and glabrous. The petals are white, egg-shaped to almost round and about 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. There are about 30-35 stamens which are about 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long.[1]
Kunzea juniperoides was first formally described in 2016 by Hellmut R. Toelken and the description was published in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden.[2] The specific epithet (juniperoides) refers to the similarity of the leaves of this species to those of miniature forms of Juniperus communis. (The suffix -oides means "likeness" in Latin.)[3]
There are two subspecies:
This kunzea grows in heath and woodland on the South Coast and nearby tablelands of New South Wales.