Citrus oxanthera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Citrus oxanthera |
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Citrus oxanthera is a unique plant that grows only in one special place: New Caledonia. It's sometimes called the orange-flowered oxanthera because of its beautiful flowers. This plant is part of the Rutaceae family, which is the same family that includes many fruits you might know, like oranges, lemons, and limes!
About the Orange-Flowered Oxanthera
This plant is a type of flowering plant. It's known for its pretty flowers, which give it its common name. Because it's part of the Rutaceae family, it's related to many well-known citrus trees.
Where Does It Live?
Citrus oxanthera is an endemic species. This means it grows naturally only in one specific area and nowhere else in the world. For this plant, that special place is New Caledonia, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. This makes the plant very special and important to protect.
How Scientists Name Plants
Scientists use a system called taxonomy to name and group living things. This helps everyone around the world understand exactly which plant or animal they are talking about.
For a long time, Citrus oxanthera was known by different names. It was once placed in groups called Atalantia and later Oxanthera. Plants in the Oxanthera group were sometimes called "false oranges" because they looked a bit like citrus plants but weren't considered true citrus.
However, modern science uses genetic testing to understand how living things are related. By studying the DNA of these plants, scientists found that the Oxanthera species, including Citrus oxanthera, are actually very closely related to true Citrus plants. This new information showed that they really belong in the Citrus group after all! Interestingly, a scientist named Georges Eugène Charles Beauvisage had suggested this idea over a hundred years ago.
