Alpine daisy bush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alpine daisy bush |
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| Olearia alpicola near Nungatta | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Olearia
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| Species: |
alpicola
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The alpine daisy bush (scientific name: Olearia alpicola) is a type of shrub. It belongs to the daisy family, called Asteraceae. You can find it growing in the mountains of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. This small bush has branches that spread out. It grows pretty white flowers that look like daisies.
Contents
What Does the Alpine Daisy Bush Look Like?
The alpine daisy bush is an open, spreading shrub. It can grow up to 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) tall. Its small branches have many tiny hairs shaped like the letter 'T'.
Leaves
The leaves are long and narrow, or sometimes shaped like an egg. They are usually between 25 and 130 millimeters (1 to 5 inches) long. They are about 3 to 23 millimeters (0.1 to 0.9 inches) wide. The leaves grow in pairs, opposite each other, but not very close together.
The top side of the leaf is green and smooth. The edges of the leaf are smooth. The underside of the leaf is covered in thick, short, white-grey hairs. You can see a network of veins on the underside. The tip of the leaf can be blunt or pointed. Each leaf has a stalk, called a petiole, which is about 12 millimeters (0.5 inches) long.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers grow in clusters of 6 or 7 white flowers. Each flower is about 19 to 24 millimeters (0.7 to 0.9 inches) across. They grow at the end of the branches on a stalk of similar length.
The flowers have 4 to 6 overlapping bracts. Bracts are like small, modified leaves that protect the flower. These bracts are shaped like cones and are arranged in rows. Their edges are fringed, and they can sometimes be a purplish color. The center of the flower is yellow.
After the flowers, the plant produces fruit. Each fruit has one seed and is shaped like a narrow egg. It is about 2 to 3.5 millimeters (0.08 to 0.14 inches) long. The fruit is mostly smooth. It might have a few dense, silky white or pale yellowish hairs at its tip. These hairs are about 5 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long.
How Did It Get Its Name?
This plant was first officially described in 1860. A scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller gave it the name Eurybia alpicola. He published his description in a scientific paper. Later, in 1867, another scientist named George Bentham changed its name to Olearia alpicola. This is the name it still has today.
Where Does the Alpine Daisy Bush Grow?
The alpine daisy bush grows in damp, mountainous areas. It also lives in dry sclerophyll forests. These forests are found in the eastern mountain ranges of Victoria. In New South Wales, you can find it south of Ebor and in the Warrumbungle Range.
