Rock correa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rock correa |
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| Correa glabra in Burnley Gardens | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Correa
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glabra
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The Correa glabra, also known as the rock correa, is a type of tall, upright shrub. It grows naturally only in Australia. This plant usually has oval-shaped leaves that are mostly smooth. Its flowers hang downwards and are pale green to pale yellow. They grow one by one on short side branches.
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What Does the Rock Correa Look Like?
The rock correa is an upright shrub that can grow up to 2.7 meters (about 9 feet) tall. Its leaves are usually oval, but sometimes they can be egg-shaped with the narrower part at the bottom. The leaves feel like paper or leather. They are about 10 to 40 millimeters (0.4 to 1.6 inches) long and 5 to 17 millimeters (0.2 to 0.7 inches) wide. If you crush the leaves, they have a strong, sweet lemon smell.
Flowers and How They Grow
The flowers of the rock correa hang down. They usually grow one at a time on short side shoots. Each flower has a small stalk, called a pedicel, which is about 2 to 4 millimeters long. There are also small, leaf-like parts called bracteoles that are 4 to 7 millimeters long.
The green outer part of the flower, called the calyx, is 3 to 10 millimeters long. The main part of the flower, the corolla, is pale green or pale yellow. It can be shaped like a cylinder or a funnel and is 15 to 40 millimeters long. The eight stamens (the parts that produce pollen) stick out far beyond the end of the corolla. Rock correa flowers can appear throughout the year, but they bloom mostly in autumn and winter.
Where Does the Rock Correa Grow?
The rock correa is found in several parts of Australia. You can see it in south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales, western Victoria, and as far west as the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia.
Different Types of Rock Correa
There are a few different types, or varieties, of rock correa:
- The most common type, Correa glabra var. glabra, has mostly smooth leaves. Its flowers are pale green or yellow. This variety often grows in rocky areas near rivers and streams.
- Correa glabra var. leucoclada is also known as the white-stemmed smooth correa. Its leaves have a lot of woolly hairs on the underside. This type grows in hilly areas along stream banks in New South Wales and parts of South Australia.
- Correa glabra var. turnbullii is called Turnbull's smooth correa. This variety has red flowers with green tips. It grows in the rocky hills of South Australia.
How People Use Rock Correa in Gardens
The rock correa is a great plant for gardens. It can be used as a low shrub to create a screen, or you can grow it in a pot. It's also known to attract birds to a garden, which is fun to watch!
This plant can grow in many different types of soil. It likes sunny spots or places with some shade. It can even handle frost, which means it's quite tough. If you want to keep it small and bushy, you can pinch back its new growth.
Popular Garden Varieties
Gardeners have developed several special types of rock correa, called cultivars. Some of these include:
- Corea glabra var. glabra 'Coliban River' – This is a small, bushy form that grows to about 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall and wide.
- C. glabra 'Apricot'
- C. glabra var. turnbullii 'Barossa Gold'
- C. glabra 'Gold Leaf'
- C. glabra var. turnbullii 'Ian Fardon'
- C. glabra var. glabra 'Inglewood Gold' – This type has gold-colored flowers.
- C. glabra 'Studley Park'
- C. glabra var. leucoclada 'Tambar Springs'
See also
In Spanish: Correa glabra para niños
