Velvet bushes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Velvet bushes
Lasiopetalum behrii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Tribe:	Lasiopetaleae
Genus:	Lasiopetalum Sm.
Species
See text.

Lasiopetalum, also called velvet bushes, is a group of about 45 types of flowering plants. They belong to the plant family Malvaceae. All Lasiopetalum plants grow only in Australia. This means they are endemic to Australia.

What Are Velvet Bushes Like?

Most Lasiopetalum plants are shrubs that spread out or grow close to the ground. They have many branches. People call them "velvet bushes" because their stems, leaves, and flowers feel soft and furry. This furry texture is called pubescent. Their leaves usually grow one after another along the stems.

The flowers are small and grow in groups. The part that protects the flower bud, called the calyx, has five furry lobes. The actual petals are very tiny.

These plants are related to other groups of plants like Guichenotia and Thomasia. Most types of Lasiopetalum are found in Western Australia. There are 24 species there, and 8 of them grow nowhere else in the world.

How Scientists Name and Group Velvet Bushes

The group Lasiopetalum was first officially described in 1798. This was done by a scientist named James Edward Smith. He wrote about it in a science book called Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.

The name Lasiopetalum comes from two old words. Lasios is an Ancient Greek word meaning "hairy". Petalon is a Greek word for "petal". So, the name means "hairy petal," which refers to the furry calyx of the flowers.

Lasiopetalum used to be in a different plant family called Sterculiaceae. But now, scientists have grouped that family into the larger Malvaceae family. Within the Malvaceae family, Lasiopetalum gives its name to a special group called the Lasiopetaleae tribe. This tribe has about ten groups of plants, mostly found in Australia.

Where Velvet Bushes Grow

Lasiopetalum species grow in Australia's low-lying areas. They like sclerophyll forests and heathlands. Sclerophyll forests have tough, dry leaves. Heathlands are open areas with small shrubs. These plants are only found in Australia.

Growing Velvet Bushes in Gardens

People do not often grow Lasiopetalum plants in gardens. However, many types have pretty new growth that looks reddish and hairy. Some of these plants were grown in gardens in England a long time ago, in the 1800s.

Types of Velvet Bushes

Here is a list of the different types of Lasiopetalum plants. This list was approved by the Australian Plant Census in December 2020: