Leptospermum benwellii facts for kids

Leptospermum benwellii is a type of shrub, which is a woody plant smaller than a tree. It grows naturally only in one special place: the Nymboida National Park in New South Wales, Australia. This shrub has smooth bark that peels off every year. Its young branches have noticeable ridges, and its leaves are long and narrow. When it blooms, it has pretty white flowers, and later it grows thin, bell-shaped fruits.

What it Looks Like

Leptospermum benwellii is a shrub that usually grows up to about 3 meters (10 feet) tall. It has smooth bark that peels off each year. Its young branches are smooth and have clear, flat ridges.

The leaves of this plant grow one after another along the stem. They are mostly attached directly to the stem without a stalk, which is called sessile. The leaves are paler on their underside and are shaped like a narrow oval. They are about 18 to 25 millimeters (about 0.7 to 1 inch) long and 2.5 to 5 millimeters (about 0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide. Young leaves have soft hairs near their edges on the lower side.

The flowers grow either alone or in small groups of up to three. They appear where the leaf meets the stem, which is called the leaf axil. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk, called a pedicel, which is only about 1 millimeter long.

The green leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud, called sepals, are about 1 to 1.5 millimeters long. They are smooth except for soft hairs on their edges. The white petals (the showy parts of the flower) are egg-shaped or round and about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long. Inside the flower, the stamens (which hold the pollen) are about 1.5 to 2 millimeters long.

This plant has been seen flowering in November. After the flowers, it produces a fruit called a capsule. This capsule is thin-walled, smooth, and shaped like a bell or half a sphere. It is about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long and 4 to 4.5 millimeters wide.

How it Got its Name

Leptospermum benwellii was officially described for the first time in 2004. The botanist Anthony Bean wrote about it in a science journal called Telopea. He had collected samples of the plant near Munningyundo in the Nymboida National Park.

The second part of its scientific name, benwellii, was chosen to honor another botanist named Andrew Samuel Benwell.

Where it Lives

This special leptospermum plant is only found in the exact spot where it was first discovered. It grows in a type of plant community called shrubland, on steep and rocky slopes.