Zieria cytisoides

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Downy zieria
Zieria cytisoides.jpg
Zieria cytisoides growing near Bega
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Zieria
Species:
Z. cytisoides
Binomial name
Zieria cytisoides
Habit Zieria cytisoides habit 2.jpg
Habit

Zieria cytisoides, commonly known as the downy zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a bushy shrub with three-part, clover-like leaves and small clusters of pale to deep pink flowers with four petals and four stamens.

Contents

Description

Zieria cytisoides is a bushy shrub which usually grows to a height of up to 3 m (10 ft) with its branches covered with velvety hairs. The leaves are composed of three leaflets with the central one elliptic to egg-shaped, 15–40 mm (0.6–2 in) long and 4–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide and with a petiole 3–11 mm (0.1–0.4 in) long. The leaflets are flat, sometimes with their edges rolled under. They are dark green and covered with short, soft hairs on the upper surface and grey-green, covered with velvety hairs on the lower surface. [2] [3] [4]

Pale to deep pink, rarely white flowers are arranged in clusters of between 3 and 30 in leaf axils with a persistent bract 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) at the base of the cluster. The clusters are about the same length as the leaves, but often longer or shorter. The sepals are triangular, about 3 mm (0.1 in) long and covered with soft hairs. The four petals are 3.5–5.5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, have a covering of soft hairs and do not overlap each other. There are four stamens. Flowers are present in winter and spring and are followed by velvety follicles containing black to reddish-brown seeds. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Downy zieria was first formally described in 1818 by James Edward Smith and the description was published in The Cyclopaedia . [1] [5] The specific epithet (cytisoides) alludes to a similarity between this species and one of the genus Cytisus , but the connection is not clear. [4] (The suffix -oides means "likeness" in Latin.) [6]

Distribution and habitat

Zieria cytisoides occurs in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is most common and widespread in New South Wales where it grows in forest woodland and heath, often in sandy soil on rocky slopes from coastal areas to the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. [2]

Use in horticulture

This zieria is most easily propagated from cuttings and is hardy in well-drained soil in full sun or part shade. In the Australian National Botanic Gardens it grows as a compact shrub with little pruning and is resistant to pests and diseases. [4] [7]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

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

Zieria caducibracteata is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a tall shrub or small tree with leaves composed of three lance-shaped leaflets. In early spring there are clusters of small white flowers with four petals near the ends of the branches.

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

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<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 formosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Zieria formosa, commonly known as the shapely zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area on the south coast of New South Wales. It is a dense, rounded shrub with velvety, clover-like leaves composed of three leaflets. In spring there are clusters of small, pale pink flowers with four petals near the ends of the branches. It is similar to the Box Range zieria which has a similar distribution, but has wider leaflets and an appendage on its anthers.

<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 hindii, commonly known as the Hind's zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area in north-eastern New South Wales. It is an erect, slender shrub with warty branches, three-part, clover-like leaves, and clusters of small white flowers with four petals and four stamens. It is only known from the Nightcap Range.

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

Zieria ingramii, commonly known as Keith's zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area in central New South Wales. It is a slender, spindly, aromatic shrub with three-part, clover-like leaves and clusters of about seven white to pale pink flowers with four petals and four stamens. The species is only known from two state forests near Dubbo.

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.

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

Zieria littoralis, commonly known as dwarf zieria is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with velvety, three-part, clover-like leaves and clusters of up to thirty white or pale pink flowers with four petals and four stamens. It grows on exposed, rocky coastal headlands.

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

Zieria murphyi, commonly known as Murphy's zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and endemic to New South Wales. It is a slender shrub with simple, or three-part leaves and between three and nine white to pale pink flowers with four petals and four stamens arranged in the leaf axils. It usually grows in sheltered places in open forest, often at the base of cliffs.

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

Zieria oreocena, commonly known as Grampians zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It is a spindly shrub with glabrous, three-part, clover-like leaves and clusters of up to thirty white flowers with four petals and four stamens. It is a rare species, only found in the northern Grampians.

<i>Zieria parrisiae</i> Species of plant

Zieria parrisiae, commonly known as Parris' zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area near Pambula on the south coast of New South Wales. It is a bushy shrub with warty, clover-like leaves composed of three leaflets and in spring there are clusters of up to 24 white to pale yellow flowers with four petals, near the ends of the branches.

Zieria tenuis is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and endemic to the northern inland of Queensland. It is an open, straggly shrub with wiry branches, three-part leaves and groups of nine to twelve flowers with four white or pinkish petals and four stamens. It is similar to Z. collina but has larger petals, and to Z. cytisoides which has different leaf venation and differently shaped leaflets.

References

  1. 1 2 "Zieria cytisoides". APNI. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Armstrong, James Andrew; Harden, Gwen. "Zieria cytisoides". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Duretto, Marco. "Zieria cytisoides". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Zieria cytisoides". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  5. Smith, James Edward (1818). Rees's Cyclopædia (volume 39). London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 483.
  7. Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray (1983). Australian native plants : a manual for their propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (2nd ed.). Sydney: Collins. p. 308. ISBN   0002165759.