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Mitrasacme spp.

Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, New Zealand, and the Pacific

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

Overview

Mitrasacme spp. is a genus of roughly 40 to 55 small annual and perennial herbs in the family Loganiaceae, with its greatest diversity in Australia and a range reaching through Southeast Asia, Malesia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Plants are slender and low, mostly 1-12 inches (2-30 cm) tall, with thread-like stems rising from a basal cluster of small leaves. The leaves are narrow to ovate, 0.1-0.6 inch (3-15 mm) long, sometimes carrying minute marginal hairs. Tiny four-lobed flowers, white to cream or pale yellow and under 0.25 inch (6 mm) across, are held singly or in small clusters on hair-like stalks. The fruit is a small two-chambered capsule tipped with a mitre-shaped beak that gives the genus its name. Most species occupy seasonally damp sand, peat, and heathland, and several annual species complete their cycle in a single wet season. Many are short-lived, and few species are offered in cultivation.

Native Range

Mitrasacme spp. is centred in Australia, where most species occur, and extends north and east into Southeast Asia, Malesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Pacific islands. Plants typically grow in seasonally wet sand, peat, and heathland.

Suggested Uses

Occasionally grown in specialist collections of Australian native flora and in bog or sand-bed plantings that mimic seasonally wet heath. Rarely used in general garden settings owing to small size and brief seasonal display.

How to Identify

Identified by a slender, low habit under 12 inches (30 cm), small narrow leaves often gathered toward the stem base, and tiny four-lobed white to pale-yellow flowers on thread-like stalks. The two-chambered seed capsule carries a mitre-shaped beak, separating the genus from similar small herbs.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1" - 1'

Width/Spread1" - 6"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Most species flower in spring and summer, with timing in Australia following seasonal rains; annual species bloom briefly as ephemerals after wet weather. Flowering of perennial species can extend over several months in moist sites.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

White to pale yellow

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range4.5 - 6.5(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

sand peat

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Species grow in consistently moist to seasonally wet, low-nutrient soils such as sand and peat in full sun to light shade. Soil that dries completely for long periods stresses the plants, while permanent stagnant water suits only a few wetland species. Acidic substrates match the native heathland habitats. Annual species rely on fresh seed each season and are not long-lived. The small size and specialized moisture needs make most species difficult outside their native conditions. Cultivation information is limited, as the genus is rarely grown.