Pine heath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pine heath |
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| Stenanthera pinifolia in Heathcote National Park | |
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The Pine Heath (scientific name: Stenanthera pinifolia) is a special type of shrub. It only grows in south-eastern Australia. This plant has long, thin leaves, and its flowers are shaped like tubes, usually yellow or sometimes red. It also grows a small berry that you can eat!
What Does Pine Heath Look Like?
Pine heath is a shrub that stands upright, or sometimes spreads out along the ground. It usually grows to be about 15 to 100 centimeters (6 to 39 inches) tall.
Its leaves are packed closely together on the branches. They are long and thin, like needles, measuring about 9.5 to 25 millimeters (0.4 to 1 inch) long and 0.3 to 1 millimeter (0.01 to 0.04 inches) wide. They feel soft when you touch them.
The flowers stand up straight and grow directly from the plant, without a stalk. They appear one by one where a leaf meets the stem (this is called a leaf axil). Often, many flowers seem to grow in a bunch at the bottom of the branches.
Each flower has small leaf-like parts called bracts (0.5 to 8 mm long) and bracteoles (7 to 9 mm long) at its base. The green outer parts of the flower, called sepals, are egg-shaped and about 9 to 12 mm long.
The main part of the flower is a tube made of petals. This tube is mostly yellow, but sometimes it's reddish near the bottom. It's about 9 to 20 mm long. The tips of the petals are triangular, green, and have lots of tiny hairs inside.
Inside the flower, the pollen-producing parts (called anthers) stick out past the end of the petal tube. The central stalk (called the style) is about 11 to 16 mm long.
After flowering, the plant produces a small, edible berry. It's oval or round, about 5 to 15 mm long, and turns white when it's ready to eat. Pine heath usually blooms from spring through summer.
How Pine Heath Got Its Name
The Pine Heath was first officially described in 1810 by a botanist named Robert Brown. He wrote about it in his book Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.
The scientific name pinifolia comes from two Latin words. "Pini" means "pine," and "folia" means "leaved." So, "pinifolia" means "pine-leaved," which makes sense because its leaves look like pine needles!
Where Does Pine Heath Grow?
Pine heath mostly grows in areas with low-growing shrubs (called heathland) or in forests and woodlands where heath plants are common. It likes sandy or rocky places.
You can find it along the coast and nearby elevated areas (tablelands) of New South Wales, starting from a place called Evans Head and going south. It also grows a lot in the Grampians in Victoria, and in other parts of Victoria further east. You can also find it in Tasmania.
