Brush starflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brush starflower |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Calytrix
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| Species: |
asperula
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The brush starflower (Calytrix asperula) is a beautiful small shrub. It belongs to the myrtle family of plants. This special plant is endemic to Western Australia. This means it grows naturally only in that part of the world!
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Discovering the Brush Starflower
The brush starflower is a unique plant found only in Australia. It's known for its pretty, star-shaped flowers. Learning about plants like this helps us understand the amazing variety of life on Earth.
What Does the Brush Starflower Look Like?
This shrub is usually a small bush. It grows from about 20 centimeters (8 inches) to 70 centimeters (2.3 feet) tall. Sometimes, it can even reach up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) high.
The brush starflower blooms between September and January. During this time, it shows off its lovely cream-yellow flowers. These flowers are shaped like tiny stars, which is how the plant got its common name.
Where Does the Brush Starflower Grow?
You can often find the brush starflower growing on flat areas. It also likes to grow among granite rocks. These plants are found along the south coast of Western Australia.
They live in two main regions: the Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance. The brush starflower prefers sandy soils. These soils are often found over a type of rock called laterite or over granite.
How Was the Brush Starflower Discovered?
The brush starflower has an interesting history of how it was named. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants.
- In 1844, a botanist named Johannes Conrad Schauer first described this plant. He called it Calycothrix luteola in his work Myrtaceae. Plantae Preissianae.
- Later, in 1867, another famous botanist, George Bentham, described the plant again. He gave it the name Calytrix asperula. This happened in his important book called Flora Australiensis.
