Pink zieria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pink zieria
Zieria veronicea growing in the Little Desert National Park
Scientific classification
Genus:	Zieria
Species:	veronicea

The Pink zieria (scientific name: Zieria veronicea) is a special plant found only in south-eastern Australia. It belongs to the citrus family, just like oranges and lemons! This small shrub has a lovely lemon scent. It's covered in soft, velvety hairs. In late spring, you can see its pretty pink flowers, each with four petals. These flowers grow right where the leaves meet the stem.

What Does the Pink Zieria Look Like?

The Pink zieria is a small, lemon-scented shrub. It usually grows to be about 15 to 60 centimeters (6 to 24 inches) tall. Most parts of the plant, like its stems and leaves, are covered in tiny, star-shaped hairs. This makes them feel soft and velvety to touch.

Unlike many other plants in the Zieria group, this one has simple leaves. They are not divided into smaller parts. Each leaf is about 5 to 18 millimeters (0.2 to 0.7 inches) long and 1 to 5.5 millimeters (0.04 to 0.2 inches) wide. The top side of the leaf is light green, and the bottom side is a grayish-green. The edges of the leaves often curl downwards. The tiny stalk that connects the leaf to the stem, called a petiole, is less than 1 millimeter long.

The flowers grow either by themselves or in small groups of three. They appear where the leaves join the stem. Each flower has four narrow, pointed parts called sepals, which are about 2 to 5.5 millimeters long. These sepals are also covered in velvety hairs. The four main petals are usually pink, but sometimes they can be white. They are about 2.3 to 7 millimeters long and overlap each other when the flower is still a bud. Inside the flower, there are four stamens, which produce pollen.

How Did the Pink Zieria Get Its Name?

The Pink zieria was first officially described in 1854 by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He first called it Boronia veronicea. Later, in 1863, another scientist named George Bentham changed its name to Zieria veronicea. Mueller didn't say why he chose the name veronicea for the plant.

There are two slightly different types of Pink zieria, called subspecies:

• Zieria veronicea subsp. veronicea
• Zieria veronicea subsp. insularis (This one is only found on Kangaroo Island.)

Where Does the Pink Zieria Grow?

The Pink zieria is most common in Victoria, Australia. It likes to grow in sandy areas with mallee trees and shrubs, especially in the western part of the state and near the Gippsland Lakes. You can also find it in the south-east of South Australia and in eastern Tasmania. In these places, it grows in open heathlands or woodlands with a lot of heath plants.

Protecting the Pink Zieria

The Pink zieria is considered "Endangered" in Tasmania. This means there are not many of these plants left in that state. In fact, fewer than 200 plants are known to exist there. The biggest dangers to the Pink zieria in Tasmania are when land is cleared for other uses and when fires happen too often or at the wrong time. Efforts are being made to protect this special plant.