Philotheca acrolopha facts for kids

Philotheca acrolopha is a special type of flowering plant. It belongs to the plant family called Rutaceae, which also includes citrus fruits! This plant is only found in a small area in Queensland, Australia. It's a shrub with leaves that grow close together and pretty cream or pale pink flowers.

What This Plant Looks Like

Philotheca acrolopha is a type of bush that can grow up to about 1 meter (3 feet) tall. It has reddish stems or small branches. The leaves grow close together at the ends of these branches. They are shaped like a wedge or a heart, with the narrow part at the bottom. Each leaf is about 7 to 13 millimeters long and 3 to 6 millimeters wide. They sit on a short stalk called a petiole.

The flowers grow one by one at the very tips of the branches. Each flower has a small stalk, called a pedicel, which is about 2.5 millimeters long. There are five round sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. These are about 1.5 millimeters long.

The plant also has five narrow, egg-shaped petals. These petals are cream-coloured or pale pink and are about 5 millimeters long. Inside the flower, there are ten stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen. These stamens are joined together at their base and also connected to the petals. This plant has been seen flowering in July.

How It Was Discovered and Named

The plant Philotheca acrolopha was officially described for the first time in 1998. This was done by a scientist named Paul Wilson. He wrote about it in a science journal called Nuytsia.

The very first plant specimen used to describe this species is called the "type specimen." This special plant was collected on Mount Tozer. This mountain is located inside the Iron Range National Park in Queensland.

Where It Grows

This specific type of philotheca plant grows in a special kind of open land called "heath." Heath is an area with low-growing shrubs and plants. It grows on a granite hill. So far, this plant has only been found in this one special place where the first specimen was collected.

Protecting This Plant

The Philotheca acrolopha is considered a "vulnerable" species. This means it is at risk of becoming endangered if its habitat is not protected. The Queensland Government lists it as vulnerable under their Nature Conservation Act 1992 law.

It was also listed as vulnerable under a national Australian law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. However, it was removed from that national list in December 2010. This means that while it's still protected by the Queensland state government, it's no longer on the national list of vulnerable species.