Zieria distans

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Zieria distans
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Zieria
Species:
Z. distans
Binomial name
Zieria distans

Zieria distans is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is only found on a few isolated mountains in Queensland, Australia. It is a straggly shrub with wiry branches, warty, three-part leaves and clusters of up to about twenty small white flowers, each with four petals and four stamens, in the leaf axils.

Contents

Description

Zieria distans is an open, straggly shrub which grows to a height of 1.5 m (5 ft) and has warty, wiry branches with dense, woolly hairs on the youngest branches. The leaves have a petiole 5–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long with a central leaflet which is narrow elliptic in shape, 11–30 mm (0.4–1 in) long, 1.0–4.5 mm (0.04–0.2 in) wide with the other two leaflets about the same size. The upper surface of the leaflets and the raised midvein on the lower surface are warty due to the presence of glands. [2]

The flowers are white and are arranged in groups of between about 12 and 20 in leaf axils on a warty, hairy stalk 2–8 mm (0.08–0.3 in) long, the groups shorter than the leaves. The sepals are warty and about 1 mm (0.04 in) long and the four petals are elliptic in shape, 1.8–3 mm (0.07–0.1 in) long, 1.0–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) wide and covered with star-like hairs. The four stamens are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long. Flowering occurs between May and September and is followed by fruit which is a glabrous capsule, about 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long and 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Zieria distans was first formally described in 2007 by Marco Duretto and Paul Irwin Forster from a specimen collected in the Walla Range near Coalstoun Lakes in Queensland. The description was published in Austrobaileya . [1] The specific epithet (distans) is a Latin word meaning "being apart" or "well separated" and refers to the location of this species on well separated mountain tops and ridges. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This zieria grows in rocky places on mountain tops and ridges in woodland and shrubland in the South East Queensland biogeographic region. There are disjunct populations on the Walla Range, Coongara Rock, Kroombit Tops, Westwood Range and Mount Roberts. [2]

Conservation

Zieria distans is listed as "least concern" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. [3]

Related Research Articles

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

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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.

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.

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Zieria robertsiorum is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to the wet tropics of far north-eastern Queensland. It is a shrub with leaves composed of three leaflets, and flowers with four white petals. The flowers are arranged in groups of up to ten which are no longer than the leaves.

Zieria scopulus is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and endemic to south-eastern Queensland. It is an open, compact shrub with wiry branches, three-part leaves and groups of up to twenty white flowers with four petals and four stamens, although only a small number of flowers are open at the same time. It is only known from two peaks of volcanic rock near Ipswich.

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.

Zieria vagans, commonly known as Gurgeena stink bush, 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.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Zieria distans". APNI. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Duretto, Marco F.; Forster, Paul I. (2007). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Zieria Sm. (Rutaceae) in Queensland". Austrobaileya. 7 (3): 497–500.
  3. "Zieria distans". Queensland Government, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2017.