Olearia minor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Olearia minor |
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Olearia pimeleoides var. minor Benth. |
Olearia minor, also known as the Small Daisy-bush, is a pretty flowering shrub. It belongs to the Asteraceae family, which includes daisies. This plant has leaves that grow in a special pattern and lovely white or light purple flowers. These flowers look like small daisies. You can see them blooming from winter all the way to December. Olearia minor grows in several parts of Australia. These include Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria.
What Does It Look Like?
Olearia minor is a small shrub. It can grow up to about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. Its branches and the underside of its leaves are covered with soft, white, cotton-like hairs.
The leaves are shaped like an oval or an egg. They are small, usually 1.5 to 8 millimeters long and 1 to 2.5 millimeters wide. They grow one after another along the stem. The top of the leaves is green. When they are young, they might look a bit like a spiderweb.
The flowers look like daisies. They are 12 to 22 millimeters wide. They grow alone at the end of the branches. Each flower has 7 to 12 white or light purple "petals." These are called ligules. The center of the flower is yellow or purple.
Around the flower, there are 4 to 5 cone-shaped leaves called bracts. They are about 4 to 6 millimeters long. These bracts are arranged in rows.
After the flower blooms, it makes a small, dry fruit. This fruit is shaped like a narrow oval. It is about 1 to 2 millimeters long. It has tiny ribs and might be smooth or covered with soft, silky hairs. Olearia minor flowers from June to December.
How Did It Get Its Name?
This daisy plant was first officially described in 1867. A scientist named George Bentham gave it a long name: Olearia pimeleoides var. minor. He wrote about it in a book called Flora Australiensis.
Later, in 1991, another botanist named Nicholas Lander studied the plant. He decided it was special enough to be its own species. So, he changed its name to Olearia minor. This new name was published in a science journal called Telopea.
Where Does It Grow?
Olearia minor likes to grow in certain types of places. You can find it in areas with "mallee" (a type of eucalyptus forest) or open scrubland. It often grows in loam (a type of soil), yellow-brown sand, or on rocky hillsides.
In New South Wales, it is mostly found around Balranald, Dubbo, and the Budawang Range.
In Victoria, it is spread out in different spots. It grows in loamy soils with mallee in the northwest, near Bambill and the Little Desert. You can also find it in dry forests in the northern Brisbane Ranges and Werribbee Gorge.
In Western Australia, it grows in sandy areas, on limestone, sand dunes, or rocky slopes. It is often found among mallee or scrubland near Coolgardie, Esperance, and the wheatbelt region.
