Small crowea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crowea exalata |
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Crowea
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exalata
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Crowea exalata, often called small crowea or waxflower, is a pretty flowering plant. It belongs to the family called Rutaceae, which also includes citrus fruits. This plant is native only to Australia, growing in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. It's a popular plant for gardens because it looks nice and blooms for a long time. It flowers mostly from late summer to mid-winter, when not many other plants are blooming.
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What Does Small Crowea Look Like?
Small crowea is a small shrub that usually grows up to about 1 metre (3 ft) tall. Its branches can spread out wide, sometimes more than 1 metre (3 ft). The leaves are long and narrow, about 15–50 millimetres (0.6–2 in) long and 1–6 millimetres (0.04–0.2 in) wide. They have many tiny oil glands, and if you crush a leaf, it has a special smell.
Flowers and Fruits
The flowers look like stars and grow at the ends of branches or where leaves join the stem. Each flower has five petals that are shaped like eggs, about 10 millimetres (0.4 in) long. They are usually pink, but some can be white. Different types of this plant, called cultivars, can have other colors too. In the middle of the flower, there are stamens that almost touch each other.
Small crowea flowers mostly from mid-summer to late winter, but you can often see some flowers throughout the year. After the flowers, the plant makes dry fruits. Each fruit has five small sections, and each section opens up to release two seeds.
How This Plant Got Its Name
The plant Crowea exalata was first officially described in 1854 by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He published his description in a science paper.
The second part of its name, exalata, comes from Latin words. "Ex-" means "out of," and "alata" means "winged." So, exalata means "wingless."
Different Types of Small Crowea
Scientists have found four main types, or subspecies, of Crowea exalata:
- C. exalata F.Muell. subsp. exalata
- C. exalata subsp. magnifolia Gebert
- C. exalata subsp. obcordata Gebert
- C. exalata subsp. revoluta Paul G.Wilson
There are also many popular types grown in gardens, called cultivars. These include:
- 'Bindalong Compact'
- 'Ginninderra Falls'
- 'Green Cape'
- 'Pink Blush'
- 'Ryans Star'
- 'Southern Stars'
- 'Star of Heaven'
- 'Whipstick'
- 'White Star'
Where Does Small Crowea Grow?
Small crowea grows naturally in New South Wales, Victoria, and southeastern Queensland in Australia. You can find it along the east coast, in the mountain ranges, and on the slopes west of the ranges. It likes to grow in dry sclerophyll forests, which are forests with tough, hard-leaved plants, and it prefers sandy soil.
Growing Small Crowea at Home
Crowea exalata is a very popular plant for gardens and is often sold in nurseries that specialize in Australian native plants. It grows best in soil that is not too heavy and in a spot where it gets some shade from the sun. It's a great plant for a rock garden.
This plant is quite tough, especially if you give it good soil with lots of mulch (like wood chips or leaves) and enough water. It's easier to grow new plants from cuttings (small pieces of the plant) than from seeds. If you use seeds, they need special care, like being gently cut and kept under running water for several weeks before planting.
See also
In Spanish: Crowea exalata para niños
