Medicosma glandulosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Medicosma glandulosa |
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| A Medicosma glandulosa plant | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Medicosma
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| Species: |
glandulosa
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Medicosma glandulosa is a special kind of shrub or small tree. It belongs to the Rutaceae family, which also includes citrus fruits like oranges! This plant is found only in far north Queensland, Australia. When a plant or animal is found in just one place in the world, it's called endemic.
This unique plant has leaves that are shaped like an oval or an egg. Its flowers are usually white with red tips, or sometimes cream-coloured. You'll find these flowers growing alone or in small groups where the leaves meet the stem.
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What Does Medicosma glandulosa Look Like?
Medicosma glandulosa is a tree that can grow up to about 10 metres (about 33 feet) tall. Its leaves are arranged in pairs opposite each other, or sometimes in groups of three or four around the stem. The leaves are oval-shaped, wider at one end and narrower at the base. They are usually between 2.3 and 12 centimetres (about 1 to 5 inches) long and 1 to 4 centimetres (about 0.4 to 1.6 inches) wide. Each leaf has a small stalk, called a petiole, which is about 3 to 10 millimetres long.
The flowers of this plant grow either by themselves or in small groups up to 7 millimetres long. They might not have a stalk, or they might have a very short one, up to 1.5 millimetres long. The small leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud, called sepals, are about 1.5 to 2 millimetres long and are smooth (without hairs). The petals are white with red tips or cream-coloured. They are about 2.5 to 3.5 millimetres long and are also smooth, except for a few tiny hairs on the very tip of the underside.
This plant can flower almost any time of the year! After flowering, it produces a fruit called a follicle, which is a dry fruit that splits open when ripe. These fruits are about 4 to 5 millimetres long.
Where Does Medicosma glandulosa Grow?
This special medicosma plant grows as a smaller tree under the taller trees in mountain rainforests. It likes to grow at high altitudes, usually between 1,000 and 1,200 metres (about 3,300 to 3,900 feet) above sea level.
You can find Medicosma glandulosa in far north Queensland. Its home stretches from Mount Finnigan in the Cedar Bay National Park all the way to an area near Mount Lewis.
How Is Medicosma glandulosa Protected?
The Queensland Government has a law called the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Under this law, Medicosma glandulosa is classified as a species of "least concern." This means that, for now, there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not considered to be in danger of disappearing.
Images for kids
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A Medicosma glandulosa plant
