Zieria southwellii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zieria southwellii |
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| In Dorrigo National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Zieria
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| Species: |
southwellii
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The Zieria southwellii is a special plant that belongs to the citrus family, called Rutaceae. You can only find it growing naturally in eastern Australia, which means it is endemic to that area. This plant can be a large bush or a small tree. Its leaves are made up of three smaller parts called leaflets. It also has many white flowers with four petals, which grow in groups that are shorter than the leaves. You'll usually find this plant growing near rainforests in northern New South Wales and the far south-eastern part of Queensland.
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What Does Zieria southwellii Look Like?
The Zieria southwellii is a tall shrub or a small tree that can grow up to about 5 m (20 ft) (about 16 feet) high. Its leaves are quite interesting because each one is made of three smaller leaf parts, called leaflets. The middle leaflet is shaped like an oval and is usually 45–90 mm (2–4 in) long and 15–27 mm (0.6–1 in) wide. It has a rounded tip. The stalk that holds the leaf, called the petiole, is about 18–35 mm (0.7–1 in) long. The top of the leaf feels smooth, and the bottom has tiny oil glands that look like dots.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of Zieria southwellii grow in large groups where the leaves meet the stem. These flower groups are usually shorter than the leaves themselves. Each flower has four small, triangular parts called sepals, which are about 0.6 mm (0.02 in) long. It also has four white petals that are about 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and feel a bit hairy. Like other plants in the Zieria group, this plant only has four stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen.
The plant usually flowers from August to December. After the flowers, it produces fruits. These fruits are mostly smooth capsules (like small seed pods) that also have tiny oil glands on them.
How Zieria southwellii Got Its Name
The Zieria southwellii was officially described and named in 2002. It was named by a scientist named James Armstrong. He published his description in a scientific book called Australian Systematic Botany. This is how new plant species get their formal names and become known to the scientific world.
Where Zieria southwellii Grows Naturally
You can find this special zieria plant in a few specific places. In Queensland, it grows in Lamington National Park and the Springbrook area. In New South Wales, it grows as far south as the Dorrigo Plateau. It likes to grow near rainforests and in wet sclerophyll forests, which are types of forests that have tough-leaved trees and get a good amount of rain.
