Pityrodia pungens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pityrodia pungens |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pityrodia
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| Species: |
pungens
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| Occurrence data from the ALA | |
Pityrodia pungens is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the mint family, called Lamiaceae. You can only find this plant in the northern part of the Northern Territory in Australia. It's a shrub that stands upright and spreads out, with thin, prickly leaves. Its flowers are off-white and look like bells, often having dark purple stripes.
What it Looks Like
Pityrodia pungens is a shrub that can grow from 40 cm (20 in) to 75 cm (30 in) tall. Its branches sometimes have tiny hairs that look like stars.
The leaves are long and thin, shaped like a spear. They are usually 10 mm (0.39 in) to 40 mm (1.6 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) to 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. Each leaf has a sharp point at its tip.
The flowers grow one by one where the leaves meet the stem. They are shorter than the leaves. At the base of each flower, there are small, leaf-like parts called bracts. There are also smaller, spear-shaped parts called bracteoles, which are 4 mm (0.16 in) to 9 mm (0.35 in) long.
The sepals, which are the green parts that protect the bud, are joined together for less than half their length. They form a bell-shaped tube with five hairy, spear-shaped tips that are 4 mm (0.16 in) to 6.5 mm (0.26 in) long.
The five petals are off-white and 10 mm (0.4 in) to 13 mm (0.5 in) long. They are joined to form a bell-like tube with five lobes (sections) at the end. The two top lobes have dark purple stripes and are 2 mm (0.079 in) to 3 mm (0.12 in) long. These top lobes are smaller than the lower ones. The middle lobe at the bottom is the largest.
The petals are smooth, except for soft hairs on the outside of the lobes. There is also a thick ring of hairs below the stamens. The four stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen, stick out slightly from the flower tube. The lower pair of stamens is a bit longer than the other pair.
Pityrodia pungens mostly flowers from January to June. After flowering, it produces an oval-shaped, hairy fruit. This fruit is about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide.
Naming the Plant
The plant Pityrodia pungens was officially described for the first time in 1979. This was done by a scientist named Ahmad Abid Munir. He studied a plant sample found in the Nitmiluk National Park. The description was then published in a scientific journal called Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
The second part of its name, pungens, is a Latin word. It means "sharp," "biting," or "piercing." This probably refers to the sharp points on its leaves.
Where it Grows
This type of pityrodia plant is found only in the northern part of the Northern Territory in Australia.
Protecting the Plant
Pityrodia pungens is listed as a plant of "least concern." This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing. This classification is made under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000.
