Verticordia minutiflora facts for kids

Verticordia minutiflora is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the myrtle plant family, called Myrtaceae. This plant is special because it is only found in the south-west part of Western Australia. It grows as a bushy shrub. You can spot its tiny, round leaves and groups of white or pale pink flowers. These flowers bloom mainly in summer and autumn. Its scientific name, minutiflora, means "tiny-flowered." This is a perfect name because it has the smallest flowers of all the Verticordia plants.

What Does It Look Like?

Verticordia minutiflora is a bushy shrub. It usually grows to be about 20–90 cm (8–40 in) tall. It can also spread out to about 90 cm (40 in) wide. Its leaves are packed closely together. They are long and thin, almost round like a pencil. Each leaf is about 3–7 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long and has a blunt, rounded end.

The flowers of this plant have a nice smell. They grow in clusters at the ends of the branches. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk, about 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) long. The flower cup is shaped like a top. It is about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long and has a few soft hairs. The sepals (the leaf-like parts that protect the bud) are white or pale pink. They are about 1.5–2.0 mm (0.06–0.08 in) long and have 2 or 3 hairy sections. The petals (the colorful parts of the flower) are the same color. They are oblong or egg-shaped and also 1.5–2.0 mm (0.06–0.08 in) long. The style (the part of the flower that receives pollen) is about 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long. It can be straight or slightly curved and is hairy. This plant mainly flowers from January to June.

How It Got Its Name

The plant Verticordia minutiflora was first officially described in 1864. This was done by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He studied a plant sample collected by George Maxwell. This sample was found "at the western end of the Great Australian Bight". The description was then published in a book called Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae.

The second part of its scientific name, minutiflora, comes from Latin words. Minutus means 'minute' or 'tiny'. -florus means '-flowered'. So, the name perfectly describes its very small flowers. In 1991, another scientist named Alex George reviewed the Verticordia group of plants. He placed Verticordia minutiflora into a smaller group called Micrantha. This group also includes plants like V. fastigiata and V. vicinella.

Where It Grows

This Verticordia plant is found in Western Australia. It grows from near Esperance all the way to Cape Arid. You can also find it further inland, near Mount Burdett. These areas are known as the Esperance Plains and Mallee natural regions. It is quite common near Esperance. Sometimes, it is even the most common shrub in an area. It especially likes to grow near granite rock formations in gravelly soil.

Looking After This Plant

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has classified Verticordia minutiflora as "Not Threatened." This means that there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not currently in danger of disappearing.

Growing It in Gardens

Even though some people might say V.minutiflora is "not super showy," it is a tough plant. It has neat leaves and can be a good addition to a garden. It is easy to grow new plants from small pieces of the existing plant. It can also grow well in many different types of soil.