Zieria aspalathoides

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Whorled zieria
Zieria aspalathoides.jpg
Zieria aspalathoides at Kooyoora State Park, Victoria
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Zieria
Species:
Z. aspalathoides
Binomial name
Zieria aspalathoides
Synonyms

Zieria laevigata var. aspalathoides(A.Cunn. ex Benth.) C.Moore & Betche

Contents

Zieria aspalathoides, commonly known as the whorled zieria, heath zieria, hairy zieria or heathy zieria, [2] is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a heath-like shrub with leaves that appear to be whorled and with pink flowers in groups of three, each with four petals and four stamens.

Description

Zieria aspalathoides is a heath-like shrub which grows to a height of between 1 and 1.5 m (3 and 5 ft) with branches that are ridged and scaly or hairy, at least when young. The leaves are composed of three linear to lance-shaped leaflets 5–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 1–1.3 mm (0.04–0.05 in) wide. The leaves have a stalk less than 1 mm (0.04 in) long and are arranged in opposite pairs, so that there appears to be a whorl of six simple leaves. The edges of the leaflets are rolled under and the upper surface is a darker green than the lower one. [2] [3] [4]

The flowers are pale to deep pink and are arranged in groups of mostly three, the groups usually longer than the leaves. The sepals are triangular, about 1.4 mm (0.06 in) long and usually smooth but hairy. The four petals are 4–5.5 mm (0.16–0.22 in) long, overlap at the edges and are covered with short, soft hairs and there are four stamens. Flowering occurs from late winter to early summer and is followed by the fruit which is a mostly glabrous follicle containing black seeds. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Zieria aspalathoides was first formally described in 1863 by George Bentham from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham. Bentham's description was published in Flora Australiensis. [1] [4] The specific epithet (aspalathoides) refers to a perceived similarity to plants in the genus Aspalathus - the suffix -oides means "likeness" in Latin. [5]

Two subspecies have been described:

Distribution and habitat

This zieria occurs in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, growing in dry forest heath, usually in sandy soil and often between rocks. Subspecies aspalathoides is widespread from Victoria to the Atherton Tableland in Queensland, although it only occurs in a few scattered populations in Victoria. In New South Wales it occurs on the tablelands and western slopes. Subspecies brachyphylla only occurs on the Blackdown Tableland in Queensland. [2] [3] [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Zieria smithii</i> Species of flowering plant

Zieria smithii, commonly known as sandfly zieria, lanoline bush or Smithian zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern and south-eastern Australia. It is a robust shrub with its leaves composed of three leaflets, and groups of flowers with four white petals, the groups usually shorter than the leaves. It is common and widespread along the coast and adjacent ranges.

<i>Zieria granulata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Zieria arborescens</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Boronia anemonifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Zieria minutiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Zieria minutiflora, commonly known as twiggy zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small, erect, twiggy shrub with leaves composed of three leaflets, and clusters of small white flowers with four petals and four stamens. It usually grows as an understorey shrub in eucalypt woodland.

<i>Zieria floydii</i> Species of flowering plant

Zieria floydii, commonly known as the Floyd's zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to the New England Tableland in New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with warty, hairy branches, three-part, clover-like leaves and clusters of creamy-white flowers with four petals and four stamens.

<i>Zieria fraseri</i> Species of shrub

Zieria fraseri is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a dense, bushy shrub with leaves composed of three leaflets, and white flowers with four petals and four stamens. It usually grows in rocky places on steep hills.

Zieria furfuracea is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with three-part leaves and groups of large numbers of small white flowers, the groups shorter than the leaves. It grows on the coast and tablelands north from Wyong.

Zieria inexpectata is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and endemic to south-eastern Queensland. It is a small, compact shrub with erect, wiry branches, three-part leaves and groups of up to twelve white flowers, the groups longer than the leaves and the flowers with four petals and four stamens. It was unexpectedly discovered by the authors during a field trip and its discovery led to a paper describing the zierias of Queensland, including sixteen new species.

Zieria insularis is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and endemic to tropical north-eastern Queensland. It is an open, straggly shrub with wiry or spindly branches, three-part leaves and between one and a few white flowers with four petals and four stamens arranged in the leaf axils. It mostly grows near granite outcrops which are surrounded by forest or rainforest.

<i>Zieria involucrata</i> Species of shrub

Zieria involucrata is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a sparse, erect shrub with mostly three-part leaves and groups of up to 21 small white flowers, the groups shorter than the leaves. It mostly occurs in the lower Blue Mountains, but is also known from other areas around Sydney.

Zieria laxiflora, commonly known as wallum zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with leaves composed of three leaflets, and clusters of about nine white or pale pink flowers with four petals and four stamens. It usually grows is coastal heathland.

Zieria obovata is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a small, open shrub with leaves composed of three leaflets, and with up to three cream-coloured to pale pink flowers with four petals and four stamens. It usually grows on steep, rocky slopes in wet open forest.

<i>Zieria odorifera</i> Species of flowering plant

Zieria odorifera, commonly known as the fragrant zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to inland New South Wales. It is an aromatic shrub with ridged branches, leaves composed of three leaflets and groups of mostly three pale to deep pink, four-petalled flowers in spring.

Zieria rimulosa is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to north Queensland. It is a shrub with leaves composed of three leaflets, and with white flowers with four petals and four stamens. Unlike many other zierias, its leaves are neither rough, glandular or densely hairy.

Zieria vagans is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and endemic to a small area near Binjour in south-eastern Queensland. It is an open, straggly shrub with densely hairy branches, three-part leaves and groups of up to fifteen flowers with four creamy-white petals and four stamens.

<i>Zieria veronicea</i> Species of flowering plant

Zieria veronicea, commonly known as the pink zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a small, lemon-scented shrub densely covered with velvety hairs. Up to three flowers with four pink petals appear in leaf axils in late spring.

Zieria whitei is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area of north Queensland. It is a dense, compact shrub with erect wiry branches, three-part leaves and groups of up to three white to pale pink flowers with four petals and four stamens. It is only known from two populations.

<i>Boronia coerulescens</i> Species of plant

Boronia coerulescens, commonly known as blue boronia, is a plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is a small, spindly shrub with glandular stems, small, more or less cylindrical leaves and blue to pinkish mauve, four-petalled flowers. There are two subspecies endemic to Western Australia and a third that also occurs in three eastern states.

<i>Boronia inflexa</i> Species of flowering plant

Boronia inflexa is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to tablelands near the New South Wales - Queensland border in Australia. It is an erect, woody shrub with pinnate leaves and up to seven white to pink four-petalled flowers in the leaf axils. Boronia bipinnata is similar but has larger, bipinnate or tripinnate leaves and smaller sepals and petals.

References

  1. 1 2 "Zieria aspalathoides". APNI. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Armstrong, James Andrew; Harden, Gwen. "Zieria aspalathoides". Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney:plantnet. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Walsh, Neville. "Zieria aspalathoides". Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria:vicflora. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Bentham, George (1863). Flora Australiensis (Volume 1). London: Lovell, Reeve & Co. p. 305. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 483.
  6. "Zieria aspalathoides subsp. aspalathoides". APNI. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Duretto, Marco F.; Forster, Paul I. (2007). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Zieria Sm. (Rutaceae) in Queensland". Austrobaileya. 7 (3): 482–485.
  8. "Zieria aspalathoides subsp. brachyphylla". APNI. Retrieved 12 January 2017.