Diocirea violacea facts for kids

Diocirea violacea is a special plant that belongs to the figwort family. You can only find it in a small area near Salmon Gums in Western Australia. This means it is endemic to that spot, like a unique local treasure! It's a short, bushy plant that often grows in big groups, covering the ground like a thick carpet. You can tell it apart from other plants in its group by looking at its leaves and fruits.

What Does Diocirea violacea Look Like?

This plant is a shrub with many stems. It can grow up to 0.5 metres (2 ft) tall and spread out to about 1 metre (3 ft) wide. Its branches often have tiny hairs and special parts called glands. These glands make a sticky sap, called resin, which dries white.

The leaves grow in a spiral pattern around the stems. They are usually 2.5–4.5 millimetres (0.1–0.2 in) long and about 0.7–1.6 millimetres (0.03–0.06 in) wide. These leaves are smooth, meaning they have no hairs. They also feel sticky because of the resin.

Flowers and Fruits

The flowers grow one by one where the leaves meet the stem. They do not have a stalk. Each flower has five green, egg-shaped parts called sepals. These sepals have small hairs on their edges.

Inside, there are five petals that are joined together. They form a tube about 1.5–2 millimetres (0.06–0.08 in) long. The ends of the petals spread out into uneven parts, which are about 1.5–2.5 millimetres (0.06–0.1 in) long. The tube is white, but it has purple spots inside and at the bottom of the petal parts. It is mostly smooth, with only a few hairs on the lower parts. There are four stamens, which are the parts that make pollen. These stamens stick out a little bit from the petal tube.

After the flower blooms, it forms a fruit. This fruit is flat and oval-shaped, about 2–3 millimetres (0.08–0.1 in) long. It has clear ridges on its surface.

How Was Diocirea violacea Named?

The plant Diocirea violacea was officially described in 2007 by a scientist named Bob Chinnock. He wrote about it in his book, Eremophila and allied genera: a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae. He studied a plant sample collected near Norseman.

The second part of its name, violacea, comes from a Latin word meaning "violet." This refers to the purple color found on the inside of its flowers.

Where Does Diocirea violacea Live?

Diocirea violacea is found in a small area of Western Australia. This area is located between Salmon Gums and Spargoville. It grows in the Coolgardie and Mallee regions. You can often find it growing in large numbers in sandy, gravelly, or clay soils. Sometimes, it is the most common plant in these areas.

Is Diocirea violacea Protected?

The Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at Diocirea violacea. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means the plant is not currently in danger of disappearing.