Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' facts for kids

Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' is a special type of plant. It is a 'cultivar', which means it's a plant chosen and grown by people for certain features. This plant is a low-growing shrub. It belongs to the Myrtaceae family, which also includes eucalyptus trees.

You can find this plant in the southeastern tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It looks a bit like another plant called Kunzea capitata. However, 'Badja Carpet' grows closer to the ground and has white flowers, not pink ones. Because of these differences, scientists have described it as its own unique species. This plant was once known by a different name, Kunzea sp. 'Wadbilliga'.

Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' growing on Big Badja Hill.

Where Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' Lives

This plant grows in places that are very high up. Its home is usually over 1,000 metres (about 3,500 feet) above sea level. It likes to live in areas called heathland. Heathland is a type of open land with small shrubs and plants.

You can find Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' on Big Badja Hill. It also grows in similar spots within Deua National Park and Wadbilliga National Park. One such place is Mount Throsby.

Plant Neighbors in the Heathland

The group of plants where Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' lives is called the Southern Montane Heath. This community includes many different plants. Some of its plant neighbors are Allocasuarina nana, Banksia canei, and Hakea dactyloides. Other plants found there are Brachyloma daphnoides and Euryomyrtus denticulata. You might also see Hibbertia pedunculata, Westringia kydrensis, and Isopogon prostratus.

What Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' Looks Like

Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' is a small shrub. It usually grows to be about 20 to 100 centimetres (8 to 39 inches) tall. It also spreads out quite wide.

Its leaves are shaped like an egg, but narrower at the bottom. They are small, only about 2 to 6 millimetres (0.08 to 0.24 inches) long. The leaves are also about 1 to 3 millimetres (0.04 to 0.12 inches) wide. In the summer, this plant produces fluffy white flowers. After the flowers, it forms a small fruit called a capsule. This capsule is about 4 millimetres (0.16 inches) long and 2.4 millimetres (0.09 inches) wide. It splits open to release the tiny seeds.

Growing Kunzea 'Badja Carpet'

This special plant is available for people to buy and grow. It was officially registered in 1979. This happened after it was successfully grown at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra in 1974.

Kunzea 'Badja Carpet' is a good choice for a groundcover. A groundcover is a plant that spreads low across the ground. It helps to cover the soil and can look very nice. This plant can handle frost, so it's good for colder areas. It also likes sunny spots. Its fluffy white flowers and new red stems make it very attractive. You can easily grow new plants from cuttings taken from an existing plant.