Zieria furfuracea facts for kids

Zieria furfuracea 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 type of shrub, which is like a bushy plant. This plant has leaves made of three parts, and it grows many small white flowers in groups. These flower groups are shorter than the leaves. You can find Zieria furfuracea growing along the coast and in the higher lands (tablelands) north of Wyong.

What Does Zieria Furfuracea Look Like?

Zieria furfuracea is a shrub that can grow from 1 and 3 m (3 and 10 ft) tall. Its branches have small bumps, like warts. When the branches are young, they are covered with soft hairs.

Leaves of the Zieria Plant

The leaves of this plant are made of three parts, called leaflets. Each leaflet is shaped like a spearhead. They are 20–60 mm (0.8–2 in) long and 2–10 mm (0.08–0.4 in) wide. The stem that holds the leaflets, called a petiole, is 5–20 mm (0.2–0.8 in) long. Both sides of the leaflets are mostly flat. They are covered with tiny, star-shaped hairs. The top side of the leaf is smooth and a darker green. The bottom side is a lighter green.

Flowers and Fruits of Zieria

The flowers are white and grow in large groups. These flower groups are shorter than the leaves. The small, leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud, called sepals, are triangular. They are less than 1 mm (0.04 in) long. The four petals are about 4 mm (0.2 in) long and covered with soft hairs. Each flower has four stamens, which are the parts that make pollen.

This plant flowers in spring and summer. After the flowers, it grows fruits. These fruits are smooth and covered with soft hairs. They are a type of dry fruit called follicles.

Naming and History of Zieria Furfuracea

The plant Zieria furfuracea was first officially described in 1863. This description was made by a scientist named George Bentham. He used notes from an earlier, unpublished description by Robert Brown. Bentham's description was then published in a book called Flora Australiensis.

What Does "Furfuracea" Mean?

The second part of the plant's scientific name, furfuracea, comes from a Latin word. The word furfur means "bran," "scurf," "scale," or "dandruff." This name likely refers to the small, scale-like hairs found on the plant.

Different Types of Zieria Furfuracea

Scientists have found three slightly different types, or subspecies, of Zieria furfuracea:

• Zieria furfuracea subsp. furfuracea
• Zieria furfuracea subsp. euthadenia
• Zieria furfuracea subsp. gymnocarpa

Where Zieria Furfuracea Grows

This type of zieria plant can be found in Queensland and New South Wales. In New South Wales, it grows north of Wyong. It lives in forests and rainforests. Sometimes, you can even find it growing on rocky cliffs that are open to the weather.