Emu Mountain sheoak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emu Mountain sheoak |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Allocasuarina
|
| Species: |
emuina
|
The Allocasuarina emuina, also known as the Emu Mountain sheoak, is a special type of shrub. A shrub is a woody plant that is smaller than a tree and has many branches from the ground. This plant belongs to a group of plants called Allocasuarina and grows naturally in Queensland, Australia.
What Does It Look Like?
The Emu Mountain sheoak is a shrub that spreads out as it grows. It usually reaches a height of about 0.5 to 2.5 metres (1.6 to 8.2 ft). It has smooth bark, which is the outer covering of its stems and branches.
Instead of wide leaves, this sheoak has long, thin, wire-like branchlets. These branchlets can be up to 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long. Its actual leaves are very tiny and look like small triangular teeth. These tiny leaves grow in circles, called whorls, all along the branchlets. The branchlets are usually yellow-green and have about 6 to 8 of these tiny teeth.
Where Does It Live?
The Emu Mountain sheoak is quite rare and only grows in a small part of Queensland, Australia. Its home is a narrow area about 55 kilometres (34 mi) long. This area stretches between Beerburrum and Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.
In 1993, scientists found only four main groups of these plants. They estimated there were about 12,000 individual plants in total. Because there are so few of them, the Emu Mountain sheoak is considered an endangered species. This means it is at high risk of disappearing forever.
Who Discovered It?
The Emu Mountain sheoak was first officially described by a botanist named Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. He wrote about this new species in 1989 in a book called Casuarinaceae. Flora of Australia.
