Zieria baeuerlenii: “Bomaderry Zieria”
Common Names: “Zieria”, “Zier”, “Bomaderry Zieria”
Taxonomy: Plantae; Angiosperms; Eudicots; Rosids; Sapindales; Rutaceae; Zieria baeuerlenii.
Location/Environment:
Native to Australia and found in woodlands and dry sclerophyll forests, within skeletal soils around sandstone boulders, Shoalhaven sandstone area, and only found today in the bushland and plateaus above Bomaderry Creek, near Nowra, New South Wales, Australia. There are only 43 colonies in 6 discrete clusters of this plant outside of captivity all within 1 km area of the bushland.
Description:
A endangered species of the citrus Rutaceae family, is named after the infamous Polish botanist named John Zier. It is a procumbent small straggly open shrub that grows upwards of .8 meters or 70 cm high with central leaflet obcordate opposite trifoliolate leaves that are roughly 6-11 mm long x 4.5-9 mm width. The branches are not warted with the younger branch sprouts having short stellate velvet hairs mixed with longer simple hairs evolving into glabrescent older branches. The leaves’ apex are emarginate to retuse and are not mucronate with entire margins recurved to revolate. Both surfaces are not warted and the secondary venation evident on both surfaces. Petioles are 1.5-2.3 mm long. The inflorescences are longer than the leaves with seven or more flowers. The calyx lobes are roughly 2 mm long, velvet haired, lacking warts, and triangular in shape. Petals can be found upward of 3.2 mm long, white to pink, imbricate, with a stellate-tomentose outer surface from September to October. Fruits nor seeds have ever been observed with this plant.
Cultivation:
Scientific research has determined this species has lost its capacity to reproduce sexually, potentially from a lack of pollen sterility or a suitable pollinator, facing likely extinction.
Common Uses: ~ unknown.
Culinary: ~ unknown.
Medicinal: ~ unknown.
Folklore and Magic: ~ unknown.
Mythology: ~ unknown.
NOTE: This article is in constant state of research, updating, and evolution. If you have information to add, please submit to [email protected]
Photos from:
Australian National Botanical Gardens*
Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia *
Bibliography and Recommended Reading:
- APNI: Australian Plant Name Index ~ “Zieria”. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved April 2011.
- Plant Life: Wollongong Botanic Garden ~ Plant Life: A list of plant species within Wollongong Botanic Garden; obtained in 2011 from website. http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au.
- Plant Net: FloraOnline ~ Zieria baeuerlenii; obtained in 2011 from website. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au.
- Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia ~ Zieria baeuerlenii; obtained in 2011 from website. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.
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