Mountain beauty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain beauty |
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| Hovea rosmarinifolia in the ANBG | |
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Hovea
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H. rosmarinifolia
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| Hovea rosmarinifolia A.Cunn.
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Hovea rosmarinifolia, often called mountain beauty or rosemary hovea, is a lovely shrub that grows in Australia. It belongs to the Fabaceae family, which is also known as the pea family. This small plant is famous for its beautiful blue-purple or mauve pea-shaped flowers. You can usually see these flowers from August to November.
Contents
Discovering the Mountain Beauty Plant
What Does Mountain Beauty Look Like?
The mountain beauty plant is a shrub that can grow up to about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. Its stems and branches are covered in soft, brownish hairs. These hairs can be wrinkled, curly, or straight.
Its leaves are long and narrow, usually 1 to 4 centimeters (0.4 to 1.6 inches) long. They are about 1.2 to 4 millimeters (0.05 to 0.16 inches) wide. The leaves are dark green on top and lighter underneath. They often arch downwards.
The underside of the leaves is completely covered in curled or wrinkled brownish hairs. At the base of each leaf, there are small, narrow, egg-shaped parts called stipules. These are usually hairy and about 0.5 to 1.2 millimeters long.
Flowers and Seed Pods
The flowers of the mountain beauty plant are a beautiful mauve color. They grow directly on the stem or on very short stalks. Each flower cluster usually has one or two flowers.
The flowers have small, egg-shaped parts called bracts at their base. The outer leaf-like parts of the flower, called sepals, are about 3 to 4 millimeters long. The main petals are about 5 to 7 millimeters long and just as wide.
The flowers bloom from August to November. After the flowers, the plant produces egg-shaped seed pods. These pods are about 5 to 7 millimeters long and are covered in rusty-colored soft hairs.
How Mountain Beauty Got Its Name
The Scientific Name Explained
The plant Hovea rosmarinifolia was first officially described in 1825. This was done by a botanist named Allan Cunningham. He published his findings in a book called Geographical Memoirs of New South Wales.
The second part of its scientific name, rosmarinifolia, tells us something special about the plant. It comes from two Latin words. Rosmarinus means "rosemary", and folium means "leaf". So, rosmarinifolia means "rosemary-leaved". This name was chosen because its leaves look a bit like those of the rosemary plant.
Where Mountain Beauty Grows
Its Natural Home in Australia
Rosemary hovea grows in different parts of Australia. In New South Wales, you can find it from Lithgow to Cowra and north to Gilgandra.
It usually grows as a small shrub under taller trees in areas called scrubland. It also likes sheltered valleys where the soil is sandy and drains water well. You can also find this plant in some scattered places in Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
Protecting the Mountain Beauty Plant
Why It Needs Our Help
In Victoria, the Hovea rosmarinifolia plant is mostly found in the dry, rocky woodlands of Mount Difficult. This area is part of the Grampians.
Because it grows in such a small and specific area, it is considered "vulnerable". This means it is at risk of disappearing if its habitat is disturbed. Protecting these special areas helps keep the mountain beauty plant safe for the future.
