Zieria compacta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zieria compacta |
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| Z. compacta leaves, flowers and fruit | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Zieria
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| Species: |
compacta
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Zieria compacta is a special plant that belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. You can only find it growing naturally in eastern Australia. It's a bushy shrub that stands upright, and its leaves are made of three smaller parts called leaflets. This plant has pretty white flowers with four petals and four stamens. You'll usually spot it growing in rocky areas on steep hills.
What it Looks Like
Zieria compacta is a bushy shrub that grows straight up, reaching about 2 m (7 ft) tall. When the branches are young, they are covered with many tiny hairs, even though they feel smooth.
Its leaves are made up of three smaller leaf parts called leaflets. The middle leaflet is usually 6–35 mm (0.2–1 in) long and 1.5–8 mm (0.06–0.3 in) wide. The other two leaflets are a bit smaller. The stem that holds the leaf is about 2–8 mm (0.079–0.31 in) long. The top side of the leaves is smooth and dark green. The bottom side is a lighter green, covered with a thin layer of fine hairs, and you can easily see the main vein running through it.
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Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of Zieria compacta are white or sometimes a light pink color. They grow in groups, usually with six flowers together, but sometimes there can be as few as one or as many as 35. These flower groups grow where the leaves meet the stem (this spot is called a leaf axil). The flower groups are usually about the same length as the leaves.
Each flower has four small green leaf-like parts called sepals, which are about 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long and hairy on the outside. It also has four petals, which are 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. Like other plants in the Zieria group, it only has four stamens (the parts that make pollen).
This plant usually flowers in spring. After the flowers, it grows fruit. The fruit is a smooth pod called a follicle. It's made of up to four sections joined at the bottom. When the fruit is ripe, these sections burst open to release the seeds inside.
Naming the Plant
The plant Zieria compacta was first officially described in 1942 by a scientist named Cyril Tenison White. He wrote about it in a scientific paper called Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. He studied a plant sample found near Stanthorpe.
The second part of its scientific name, compacta, is a Latin word. It means "thick" or "firm," which probably describes how the plant grows or looks.
Where it Grows
You can find Zieria compacta mainly in eastern Australia. It grows from the Darling Downs and Fraser Island in Queensland down to the far south coast of New South Wales. It likes to grow on steep, rocky hillsides. It often grows in poor soil near granite or sandstone rocks.
