Kunzea spathulata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kunzea spathulata |
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| Kunzea spathulata flowers and foliage | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Kunzea
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| Species: |
spathulata
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Kunzea spathulata is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. This plant is special because it only grows in a small part of southwestern Western Australia. This means it is endemic to that area.
It is a tall shrub with straight, many-branched stems. Its leaves are long and narrow. The plant produces round groups of yellow or yellowish-green flowers.
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What Kunzea spathulata Looks Like
Kunzea spathulata is a tall shrub or a small tree. It can grow up to about 4.5 meters (about 15 feet) tall. It has many straight branches that grow upwards.
The leaves are very thin and straight, like a line. They are about 5 to 7 millimeters long and very narrow. The leaves are usually pressed close to the stem.
The flowers grow in round groups. Each group has between ten and eighteen flowers. These flower groups usually appear at the ends of the branches.
Each flower has small, egg-shaped parts called bracts. There are also tiny pairs of bracteoles at the base of the flowers. The sepals, which protect the flower bud, are small and egg-shaped.
The petals are yellow or yellowish-green. They are egg-shaped to almost round and about 1.6 to 2 millimeters long. Each flower has many stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen. These stamens are about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long.
This plant usually flowers in October and November.
How Kunzea spathulata Got Its Name
The plant Kunzea spathulata was officially described in 1996. This description was made by a scientist named Hellmut R. Toelken. He studied a plant sample found near Nannup.
The description was published in a science journal called Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. The second part of its name, spathulata, comes from the word "spatula". This refers to the spatula-shaped bracteoles of this plant.
Where Kunzea spathulata Grows
This Kunzea plant is found mostly around wet areas. It likes marshes and swampy places. You can find it mainly near the towns of Augusta and Nannup in Western Australia.
Conservation Status
The good news is that Kunzea spathulata is not considered to be in danger. The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has classified it as "not threatened." This means there are enough of these plants in the wild for now.
