Leptospermum semibaccatum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leptospermum semibaccatum |
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| In Broadwater National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Leptospermum
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| Species: |
semibaccatum
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| Synonyms | |
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Leptospermum grandiflorum var. minus S.Schauer |
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The Leptospermum semibaccatum is a special kind of plant. It's a low, bushy shrub that grows only in eastern Australia. This means it's endemic to that area, found nowhere else in the world! It has small leaves, pretty white or pink flowers, and fuzzy, flat-topped fruits. These fruits drop off soon after their seeds are ready. You can often find this plant growing in wet, sandy soil near the coast.
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What Does It Look Like?
The Leptospermum semibaccatum is a small, thick shrub. It usually grows to about half a meter tall, but sometimes it can reach up to two meters. Its bark is thin and peels off easily. When the young stems first grow, they are a bit hairy.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of this shrub are shaped like an egg or are narrow and oval. They are usually about 5 to 10 millimeters long and 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters wide. The tip of each leaf is blunt, and the base narrows down to a short stem called a petiole.
The flowers are either white or pink and are usually 5 to 10 millimeters wide. They grow alone or in pairs on short side branches. Before the flowers open, you might see small, reddish-brown leaf-like parts called bracts at the base of the flower bud. Most of these fall off before the flower blooms.
The part of the flower that holds the petals is called the floral cup, and it's covered in silky hairs. The petals themselves are about 3.5 to 7 millimeters long. Inside the flower, the pollen-producing parts, called stamens, are about 1.5 to 2 millimeters long.
Flowering and Fruit
This plant mostly blooms from August to October. After the flowers, it produces a fruit that looks like a flat-topped seed pod, about 4 to 6 millimeters wide. When the fruit first appears, it's hairy. Once the seeds are ready to be released, the fruit quickly falls off the plant.
Where Does It Grow?
This type of tea-tree likes to grow in sandy soil that doesn't drain very well. You can find it in coastal areas, especially in places called "heathlands." Its natural home stretches from Bundaberg in Queensland all the way down to Forster in New South Wales.
Who Named This Plant?
The Leptospermum semibaccatum was officially described and named in 1932. A scientist named Edwin Cheel gave it its formal name. He wrote about it in a science journal called the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. The plants he studied were collected by another scientist, C.T.White, from Moreton Island.
