''Crowea exalata'', commonly known as small crowea or waxflower, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the states of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is an attractive small shrub and is a popular garden plant. It flowers mainly from late summer to mid-winter when few others are flowering but usually has some flowers at other times of the year.

Description

''Crowea exalata'' is a small shrub, growing to a height of about with thin branches, often spreading to more than . Its leaves are narrow oblong to narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base and are long and wide. They have many oil glands and have a characteristic scent when crushed. The star-like flowers appear on the ends of the branches or in the axils of the leaves on a stalk long. The five

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are egg-shaped, about and usually pink, sometimes white and a range of colours in the

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s. The stamens in the centre of the flower almost overlap. Flowering occurs mainly from mid-summer to late winter but flowers can be present most of the year. The fruits that follow are dry and have 5 compartments which open to release 2 seeds each.

Taxonomy and naming

''Crowea exalata'' was first formally described by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in 1854. The description was published in Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''exalata'') is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''ex-'' meaning "out of" and ''alata'' meaning "winged", hence "wingless". Four subspecies are recognised by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

as at November 2020: * ''C. exalata'' F.Muell. subsp. ''exalata'' * ''C. exalata'' subsp. ''magnifolia'' Gebert * ''C. exalata'' subsp. ''obcordata'' Gebert * ''C. exalata'' subsp. ''revoluta''

Paul G.Wilson Paul Graham Wilson (born 1928) is an Australian botanist. He has been a most prolific contributor to the journal ''Nuytsia'', contributing to the first issue in 1970 and to the 12th volume in 1998, which was dedicated to him for his contribution ...

Cultivars include: *'Bindalong Compact' *'Ginninderra Falls' *'Green Cape' *'Pink Blush' *'Ryans Star' *'Southern Stars' *'Star of Heaven' *'Whipstick' *'White Star'

Distribution and habitat

Small crowea occurs in New South Wales, Victoria and south east Queensland. It is found on the east coast, ranges and the slopes on the western side of the ranges. It grows in dry

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaf, leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is paral ...

forest in sandy soil.

Use in horticulture

''Crowea exalata'' is widely cultivated and is usually available in Australian native plant nurseries. It grows best in light soil, partly shaded from the sun and is an ideal rockery plant. It is a hardy plant, especially when supplied with well-mulched soil and adequate water. Propagation is easier from cuttings because seeds must be nicked and held under running water for several weeks before sowing.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5189210 Sapindales of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1854 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Zanthoxyloideae