Dwarf zieria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dwarf zieria |
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| Zieria littoralis growing at Green Cape | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Zieria
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| Species: |
littoralis
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The Dwarf Zieria (Zieria littoralis) is a special plant that belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. It's found only in south-eastern Australia, which means it's endemic there. This plant is a shrub that can grow straight up or spread out.
It has soft, velvety leaves that look a bit like clover leaves, divided into three parts. When it blooms, you'll see groups of up to thirty white or light pink flowers. Each flower has four petals and four stamens. You can usually find this plant growing on rocky areas right by the coast.
What Does It Look Like?
The Dwarf Zieria is a shrub that can grow from about 20 centimeters (8 inches) up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall. Its branches feel soft and velvety, especially when they are young.
Its leaves are also velvety. Each leaf is made up of three smaller, egg-shaped parts called leaflets. These leaflets are attached to a small stalk called a petiole, which is about 1 to 3 millimeters long. The middle leaflet is usually 4 to 20 millimeters long and 2 to 9 millimeters wide.
Both sides of the leaflets feel bumpy and are covered with soft hairs. The top side is a darker green than the bottom side. The edges of the leaflets are often curled under.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of the Dwarf Zieria grow in groups of three to thirty. These groups appear where the leaves meet the stem, which is called a leaf axil. The flower clusters are usually shorter than the leaves.
Each flower has small, triangular parts at its base called sepals, which are about 2.5 millimeters long and covered in woolly hairs. The four petals are white or light pink. They are about 3 to 5 millimeters long and have hairs on the outside, but are smooth on the inside. There are also four stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen.
This plant flowers from winter to early summer. After the flowers, it produces hairy fruits that are called capsules.
How It Was Named
The Dwarf Zieria, Zieria littoralis, was officially described in 2002. It was named by a scientist named James Armstrong. He found a sample of the plant near the Green Cape lighthouse.
The name was published in a scientific journal called Australian Systematic Botany. The second part of its scientific name, littoralis, is a Latin word. It means "of the seashore," which makes sense because of where this plant grows!
Where Does It Grow?
You can find the Dwarf Zieria growing on rocky coastal areas that are open to the wind and sea. It grows in several parts of south-eastern Australia.
It is found south from Tathra in New South Wales. You can also see it on the far north-east coast of Victoria, including Gabo Island. It also grows on the central east coast of Tasmania.
