Blackwood bell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blackwood bell |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Darwinia
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| Species: |
terricola
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The Blackwood bell, also known as Darwinia terricola, is a special plant. It belongs to the myrtle family. This plant is found only in a small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, low shrub that sometimes grows flat on the ground. It has tiny, thin leaves. Its small groups of flowers are surrounded by reddish-green leaf-like parts called bracts. These flowers usually rest right on the ground.
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What the Blackwood Bell Looks Like
The Blackwood bell is a shrub that spreads out or grows flat. It can reach about 20 centimeters (8 inches) tall. It can also spread up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) wide. Many stems grow from its woody base.
Its leaves are long and narrow, like tiny lines. They are about 4 to 9 millimeters (0.16 to 0.35 inches) long. They are also very thin, less than 0.7 millimeters (0.03 inches) wide. If you cut a leaf, it would look like a triangle. The edges of the leaves have tiny hairs called cilia.
The flowers grow in groups, usually with five to seven flowers together. These groups are about 17 to 19 millimeters (0.67 to 0.75 inches) long. They are also about 10 to 12 millimeters (0.39 to 0.47 inches) wide.
The flowers are surrounded by several rows of leaf-like bracts. At first, these bracts are green. But as the flowers grow, they turn reddish-green. They also get bigger, reaching 13 to 20 millimeters (0.51 to 0.79 inches) long.
These flower groups usually lie on the ground or on top of the leaves. Each flower is brown and shaped like a tube. It is about 3 to 4 millimeters (0.12 to 0.16 inches) long. Each flower has five ridges on its sides.
The petals are white. A curved part called a style sticks out from the flower. It is about 11 to 12 millimeters (0.43 to 0.47 inches) long. There is a ring of short hairs near the end of this style. The Blackwood bell flowers in November and December.
How it Got its Name
The Blackwood bell, Darwinia terricola, was officially described in 2012. Greg Keighery was the person who first described it. He found a sample of the plant in the Blackwood State Forest. This forest is located between Margaret River and Nannup. The description was then published in a science magazine called Western Australian Naturalist.
The second part of its scientific name, terricola, comes from Latin words. Terra means "earth" or "ground." The ending -cola means "inhabitant." So, terricola means "earth inhabitant." This name refers to how the plant grows flat on the ground. It also describes how its flowers rest on the ground.
Where the Blackwood Bell Lives
The Blackwood bell is only found in the Blackwood State Forest. This area is part of the Jarrah Forest biogeographic region. It grows in sandy clay soil. You can find it in a type of shrubland called mallee shrubland.
Protecting the Blackwood Bell
The Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife has a special list. On this list, Darwinia terricola is called "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)". This means it is a rare plant that needs to be protected.
