Phebalium verrucosum facts for kids

Phebalium verrucosum is a special kind of shrub that only grows in New South Wales, Australia. It's known for its unique look, with branches covered in tiny white scales. Its leaves are long and narrow, and they have a cool silvery or rusty color on the underside. When it blooms, you'll see pretty creamy-white flowers!

What Does This Plant Look Like?

Phebalium verrucosum is a shrub that can grow up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) tall. Its small branches are covered in tiny white scales, making them look a bit frosty.

Its leaves are narrow and can be shaped like an oval, a rectangle, or a line. They are usually 13 to 38 millimeters (about half an inch to 1.5 inches) long and 2 to 6 millimeters (less than a quarter inch) wide. Each leaf has a short stem called a petiole that is 1 to 2 millimeters long. The top of the leaves feels bumpy or "warty," and the bottom is covered with shiny silvery and rust-colored scales.

The flowers grow in small groups called umbels, usually with three to five flowers at the ends of the branches. Sometimes, you might see a single flower growing where a leaf meets the stem. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk called a pedicel, which is 2.5 to 6 millimeters long and covered with white, star-shaped hairs.

At the base of each flower, there are small leaf-like parts called sepals. These sepals join together to form a cup-shaped structure called a calyx, which is about 2 millimeters wide. It's also bumpy and covered with white, star-shaped hairs. The petals are creamy white and shaped like an egg. They are 2.5 to 3 millimeters long and about 1.5 millimeters wide. The back of the petals has silvery or rust-colored scales.

This plant mainly flowers from September to November. You might also see some flowers in April and June.

How Did It Get Its Name?

This plant was first officially described in 1970 by a scientist named Paul Wilson. He first called it Phebalium squamulosum subsp. verrucosum. He wrote about it in a science journal called Nuytsia.

Later, in 2014, two other scientists, Ian Telford and Jeremy Bruhl, decided it was unique enough to be its own species. So, they gave it the name Phebalium verrucosum in another science journal called Telopea. The word "verrucosum" comes from Latin and means "warty," which describes the bumpy texture of its leaves.

Where Does This Plant Live?

Phebalium verrucosum likes to grow in certain types of forests and woodlands. You can find it in shrubby woodlands and dry rainforests. It often lives near the edges of deep valleys (called gorges) and along rocky riverbanks. It grows near the Macleay, Guy Fawkes, and Nymboida rivers in New South Wales.

Images for kids

• 

  This plant growing in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park