Zieria hydroscopica facts for kids

Zieria hydroscopica is a special plant. It belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. You can only find this plant in one place. That place is a state forest near Monto in Queensland, Australia. It's a small bush that grows up to 50 cm tall. It has straight, thin branches. Its leaves are made of three parts. The plant also has many white flowers. Each flower has four petals and four stamens. Zieria hydroscopica looks a lot like another plant, Zieria smithii. The main difference is the tiny hairs on its branches and the bottom of its leaves.

What Does Zieria hydroscopica Look Like?

Zieria hydroscopica is a small shrub. It can grow up to 50 cm (20 in) tall. It has branches that stand up straight and look like thin wires. These branches have tiny, star-shaped hairs scattered on them.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves of this plant are made of three smaller parts. These parts are called leaflets. They are narrow and shaped like an oval or a spear. The narrower end of each leaflet is at its base. The leaves have a small stem, called a petiole. This stem is about 8–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. The middle leaflet is about 20–33 mm (0.8–1 in) long. It is also about 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide. Both sides of these leaflets feel a bit hairy.

The flowers are white. They grow in groups of eight to 25 or more. These groups appear where the leaves meet the stem, which is called a leaf axil. Each group of flowers grows on a small stalk. This stalk is about 2–8 mm (0.08–0.3 in) long.

Flower Parts

The sepals are small leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud. They are shaped like triangles. Each sepal is about 1 mm (0.04 in) long and wide. The four petals are shaped like ovals. They are about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide. Both sides of the petals are covered with many star-shaped hairs. The four stamens, which produce pollen, are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.

Flowering and Fruit

This plant mainly flowers in September. After the flowers, it produces a fruit. This fruit is a dry seed pod, called a capsule. It is mostly smooth and does not have many hairs.

How Zieria hydroscopica Got Its Name

Zieria hydroscopica was officially described in 2007. Two scientists, Marco Duretto and Paul Forster, gave it its name. They studied a plant sample found in the Coominglah State Forest near Monto. Their description was published in a science journal called Austrobaileya.

The second part of its name, hydroscopica, comes from ancient Greek words. "Hydro-" means "water," and "scopic" means "watcher." So, the name means "water watcher." This name was chosen because these plants often grow near waterholes. The actual ancient Greek words are hydōr (ὕδωρ) for "water" and skopos (σκοπός) for "watcher."

Scientists have also done DNA analysis on this plant. Based on this research, some think that Zieria hydroscopica might be a mix. It could be a natural hybrid of two other plants: Z. smithii and Z. cytisoides.

Where Zieria hydroscopica Lives

You can find this type of zieria plant in open forests. It also grows near rocky creek beds. All known plants are found in the Coominglah State Forest.