Philotheca ericifolia facts for kids

Philotheca ericifolia is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the family called Rutaceae. It is only found in New South Wales, Australia. This plant is a bushy shrub with many branches. It has small, needle-shaped leaves and pretty white to pink flowers. These flowers grow either by themselves or in small groups at the ends of the branches.

What Philotheca Ericifolia Looks Like

Philotheca ericifolia is a shrub that spreads out and has many branches. It usually grows to be about 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) tall. Its small branches have tiny, wart-like bumps that feel a bit sticky.

The leaves of this plant are shaped like needles. They are about 4 to 8 millimeters (0.16 to 0.31 inches) long. The leaves also have a few sticky bumps and a small groove on their top surface.

Flowers and Reproduction

The flowers of Philotheca ericifolia are found at the very ends of the branches. They can grow alone or in small groups of up to six flowers. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk, called a pedicel, which is about 2 to 3 millimeters long.

Each flower has five soft, triangle-shaped parts called sepals. These sepals are about 1.5 to 2 millimeters long. There are also five white, oval-shaped petals, which are about 9 millimeters long. These petals have a thick line down the middle.

Inside the flower, there are ten stamens, which are the parts that make pollen. These stamens are covered in lots of tiny hairs. The plant usually flowers in the spring. After flowering, it produces a small fruit. This fruit is about 2 to 3 millimeters long and has a pointed tip.

How Philotheca Ericifolia Got Its Name

This plant was first officially described in 1863. A botanist named George Bentham wrote about it. He used notes from an earlier description by Allan Cunningham. Cunningham had first called the plant Eriostemon ericifolius.

Bentham published this description in a book called Flora Australiensis. Allan Cunningham had collected the first samples of this plant in 1825. He found them near the Liverpool Plains.

Later, in 1998, another botanist named Wilson changed the plant's name. He renamed it Philotheca ericifolia. This new name was published in a science journal called Nuytsia.

Where Philotheca Ericifolia Grows

Philotheca ericifolia likes to grow in areas with low, shrubby plants, called heathland. It also grows in forests. You can often find it in wet, sandy flat areas and in small valleys or dips in the land.

This plant is found in two main areas of New South Wales. It grows in the upper part of the Hunter Valley. It is also found in the northern part of the Pilliga scrub.

Conservation Status of Philotheca Ericifolia

In the past, Philotheca ericifolia was considered a "vulnerable" plant. This meant it was at risk of disappearing. It was listed as vulnerable under two important laws: the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Government's Threatened Species Conservation Act.

However, good news! This plant has now been removed from both of these lists. This means it is no longer considered vulnerable.