Verticordia sect. Tropica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Verticordia sect. Tropica |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Verticordia |
| Subgenus: | Verticordia subg. Eperephes |
| Section: | Verticordia sect. Tropica A.S.George |
| Type species | |
| Verticordia cunninghamii A.S.George
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| Species | |
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3 species: see text. |
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Verticordia sect. Tropica is a special group of plants. It is one of six sections within a larger group called Eperephes. This group belongs to the Verticordia plant family. There are three different types, or species, of plants in this section.
These unique plants are the only Verticordia types found in warm, tropical parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. You can find them in places like the Kimberley area and Kakadu National Park. They are special because they can grow back from a hidden woody base, called a lignotuber, after a bushfire. One of these species, V. decussata, only grows in the Northern Territory.
What Do These Plants Look Like?
The leaves of these plants come in different sizes. Some are tiny and lie flat against the stem. Others are long and curved. But all their leaves are thin and straight, like a line.
Their flowers are also very interesting. The petals (the colorful parts of the flower) have a fringed, or feathery, edge. The sepals (the leaf-like parts that protect the bud) are lobed. They also have small, ear-shaped parts called appendages. The style (a part of the flower that helps with reproduction) has a thin band of hairs near its tip.
How This Group Got Its Name
A scientist named Alex George studied the Verticordia plants in 1991. He was the one who first described this special group and gave it the name Tropica.
The name Tropica comes from a Latin word. It means "solstice," which refers to the tropical areas where these plants grow.
Species in This Group
The main species that represents this group is Verticordia cunninghamii. The other two species in this section are V. verticillata and V. decussata.
