Kunzea glabrescens facts for kids

Kunzea glabrescens, often called spearwood, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. This plant is special because it only grows in the south-west part of Western Australia. You can often find spearwood growing in wet areas, especially around the city of Perth. It looks a bit like another plant called K. ericifolia, but its small leaf-like parts near the flowers (called bracteoles) are shaped differently.

What Spearwood Looks Like

Spearwood is a large shrub or small tree. It can grow up to about 4 m (10 ft) (about 13 feet) tall. It has many main stems and lots of branches.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves are long and narrow, like a spear tip. They are usually 5–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and less than 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. Each leaf has a tiny stem, called a petiole, which is about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.

The flowers grow in tight bunches. Each bunch has about 18 to 28 flowers. These bunches are mostly found at the ends of the longer branches. Around the flowers, there are special leaf-like parts. These are called bracts and bracteoles. The bracts are egg-shaped and about 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. The bracteoles are also egg-shaped, about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide.

Flower Parts

Each flower has a cup-shaped base called a floral cup, which is about 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. It has five small, smooth, triangular parts called sepals, each 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long. There are also five pale yellow petals, about 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long. Inside the flower, you'll find many stamens, usually between 30 and 45 of them.

Flowering Time and Fruit

Spearwood usually blooms in October and November. After the flowers fade, they turn into small, urn-shaped fruits. These fruits are called capsules.

How Spearwood Got Its Name

Scientists give plants two main names: a genus name and a species name. This helps everyone know exactly which plant they are talking about.

Genus Name: Kunzea

The genus name, Kunzea, honors a professor named Gustav Kunze. He was a botanist, which means he studied plants. He was also an entomologist, studying insects, and a doctor.

Species Name: glabrescens

The second part of the name, glabrescens, comes from Latin words. Glaber means "hairless" or "smooth." The ending -escens means "becoming." So, glabrescens refers to the leaves. They are hairless or become smooth as they get older.

Who Described It?

Kunzea glabrescens was first officially described in 1996. A scientist named Hellmut R. Toelken wrote about it. He studied a plant sample found near Lake Goolelal in Greenwood. His description was published in a scientific book called Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

Where Spearwood Grows

Spearwood grows naturally in the south-west part of Western Australia. It likes sandy soil. You can often find it in wet, low areas or along rivers and streams.

Regions It Calls Home

You can find spearwood as far north as Gingin. From there, it grows south through the Swan Coastal Plain and the Peel region. It also extends into the South West region and even further east into the Great Southern region, reaching as far as Albany.

Conservation Status

The Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of plants. They have listed Kunzea glabrescens as "not threatened." This means that there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not currently in danger of disappearing.