Woolly riceflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Woolly riceflower |
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| Flowers and leaves of a plant in the Brisbane Ranges National Park, Victoria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pimelea
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| Species: |
octophylla
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The woolly riceflower (scientific name: Pimelea octophylla) is a type of shrub. It is also called the downy riceflower. This plant belongs to the Thymelaeaceae family, which includes many flowering plants.
This special plant grows naturally in south-eastern Australia. It can grow up to 1 metre (about 3 feet) tall. Its flowers are cream to pale yellow. They grow in bunches at the end of the stems. These flower bunches have long white hairs. Each bunch can have anywhere from 25 to 150 small flowers! The leaves of the woolly riceflower are small. They are usually 2 to 15 millimetres long and 0.5 to 5 millimetres wide.
How Scientists Name Plants
The woolly riceflower got its first official scientific name in 1810. A botanist named Robert Brown described it. He wrote about it in a book called Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. Robert Brown found this plant in January 1804. He collected it from a place called Arthurs Seat, Victoria.
Sometimes, scientists change how plants are grouped. This happens as they learn more. Some plants once thought to be types of Pimelea octophylla have been reclassified. This means they are now considered different species or subspecies.
- A plant once called Pimelea octophylla subsp. ciliolaris is now known as Pimelea ciliolaris.
- Another, Pimelea octophylla subsp. petraea, is now part of Pimelea imbricata subsp. petrea.
- And Pimelea octophylla subsp. subvillefera is now called Pimelea subvellifera.
Where the Woolly Riceflower Grows
The woolly riceflower is found in two states in Australia. It grows in Victoria and South Australia.
