Zieria alata facts for kids

Zieria alata is a special plant that belongs to the citrus family called Rutaceae. You can only find this plant growing on mountains in the Mossman and Daintree areas of Queensland, Australia. It's a type of open shrub with thin, bumpy branches. Its leaves have three parts, and its small flowers are white, cream, or pale pink. Each flower has four petals and four stamens.

What It Looks Like

Zieria alata is an open shrub that sometimes looks a bit messy. It can grow up to about 3 m (10 ft) tall. Its branches stand straight up and are thin like wire. These branches have raised, wing-like bumps where the leaves join, which are caused by small, raised glands (like tiny bumps).

The leaves of this plant look a bit like clover leaves because they have three parts. Each leaflet (one part of the leaf) is shaped like an oval or an egg. They are about 22–41 mm (0.9–2 in) long and 7–13 mm (0.3–0.5 in) wide. You can see a clear vein down the middle on the underside of the leaflets. They also have a few small teeth along their edges near the tip. The stalk that holds the leaf is about 12–18 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long.

The flowers are white, cream, or a light pink color. They grow in small groups of three to nine flowers where the leaves meet the stem (called axils). Each group of flowers grows on a stalk that is about 8–16 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long. These flower groups are shorter than the leaves, and usually only one to three flowers are open at the same time. The four petals are oval-shaped, about 4 mm (0.2 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The four stamens (the parts that make pollen) are about 2 mm (0.08 in) long.

This plant mainly flowers from July to September. After the flowers, it produces a smooth, round seed pod called a capsule. This capsule is about 3 mm (0.1 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide.

Plant Name and History

The scientific name Zieria alata was first officially described in 2007. Two scientists, Marco Duretto and Paul Forster, gave it this name after finding a sample in a place called "North Mary Logging Area, State Forest 143." They published their description in a scientific journal called Austrobaileya. The second part of its name, alata, is a Latin word that means "winged." This likely refers to the wing-like bumps on its branches.

Where It Grows

This type of zieria plant likes to grow near large granite rocks. It lives in windy, open areas with low-growing plants (called heath) and in short, dense forests. You can find it in places that are higher than 1,000 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. These areas are on the mountain ranges behind the Daintree River and Mossman.

Looking After This Plant

Currently, Zieria alata is not listed as an endangered or threatened plant under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992. This means it is not considered to be at high risk of disappearing.