Euphorbia tannensis var. finlaysonii facts for kids

Euphorbia tannensis var. finlaysonii is a special kind of desert plant. It's a type of herb that grows naturally in the dry areas of Australia. This plant is a variety of a larger group called Euphorbia tannensis.

What This Plant Looks Like

This plant usually grows as a straight, upright shrub. It can reach about one meter (about 3 feet) tall. Sometimes, it can even grow up to 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) high.

The plant has green or yellow flowers. If you look at it from far away, it might seem like it doesn't have any leaves. This is because its leaves can be small or drop off during dry times.

One way to tell this plant apart from its close relative, E. tannensis var. eremophila, is by its special flower parts. It has "lobed involucral glands" on its flowers. These are small, unique structures that help scientists identify it.

Where This Plant Lives

Euphorbia tannensis var. finlaysonii doesn't grow in many places. It is found only in a small strip of desert land. This area is located in South Australia and the Northern Territory in Australia.

Its habitat is much smaller than that of other similar Euphorbia plants. This makes it a unique part of the Australian desert ecosystem.

How It Got Its Name

This plant was first described by a scientist named John McConnell Black in 1935. He first gave it its own species name, Euphorbia finlaysonii.

Later, in 1977, another scientist named David Hassall studied the plant more closely. He decided that it was actually a variety of E. tannensis, not a completely separate species. So, he changed its name to Euphorbia tannensis var. finlaysonii.

At the same time, Hassall also reclassified another related plant, E. eremophila. He believed these two plants were very closely related to each other. Because of this, he created a new subspecies, E. tannensis subsp. eremophila, to include both varieties.