Zieria cephalophila facts for kids

Zieria cephalophila is a special plant that belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. You can only find this plant growing on one isolated mountain in Queensland, Australia. It's a small, bushy plant with thin, strong branches. Its leaves have three parts and feel a bit bumpy. The plant produces one to three white flowers, each with four petals and four stamens (the parts that make pollen). These flowers grow where the leaves meet the stem.

What Does Zieria Cephalophila Look Like?

Zieria cephalophila is a small, dense shrub that usually grows to about 0.5 meters (about 1.6 feet) tall. Its branches are thin and strong, and they have small bumps and scattered hairs.

Leaves of the Zieria Plant

The leaves of this plant have a small stalk, called a petiole, which is about 2 to 3 millimeters long. The middle part of the leaf is about 11 to 18 millimeters long and 1.5 to 3.5 millimeters wide. The other two parts of the leaf are a little smaller. You can see a bumpy vein on the underside of the leaflets, and the edges of the leaves are often curled under.

Flowers and Fruit of Zieria Cephalophila

The flowers are white and can grow alone or in small groups of up to three. They appear where the leaves join the stem, on a short stalk about 1.5 to 6 millimeters long. Each flower has four narrow, oval-shaped petals, which are about 3.5 millimeters long. Both sides of the petals are covered in tiny hairs. The flowers also have four stamens, which are about 1.5 millimeters long.

This plant seems to flower from November to May. After the flowers, it produces a smooth, dry fruit called a capsule. This capsule is about 2.5 millimeters long and 1.5 millimeters wide.

Where Does Zieria Cephalophila Grow?

This unique zieria plant lives in woodlands and shrublands. It prefers rocky areas made of volcanic rock within the Homevale National Park in Queensland. It likes to grow on high, rocky mountain tops.

Protecting Zieria Cephalophila

Currently, Zieria cephalophila is listed as "Least concern" under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992. This means that experts believe it is not at high risk of disappearing right now.