''Zieria actites'' is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is only found on a single, isolated mountain in Queensland. It is a dense, compact shrub with wiry branches, three-part leaves and small, cream to pale pink flowers with four

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 and four

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

Description

''Zieria actites'' is a dense, compact shrub which grows to a height of and has erect, wiry branches. The leaves have three parts, resembling clover leaves and have a smell like

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

ed. The central leaflet is long, wide with the other two leaflets slightly smaller. The leaflets have a distinct mid-vein on the lower surface and transparent oil glands. The leaf stalk is long. The flowers are cream to pale pink and are arranged in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s in groups of between nine and twenty on a stalk long. The four petals are narrow elliptical in shape, about long and hairy near their edges and the four stamens are less than long. Flowering mainly occurs from September to May and is followed by fruit which is a glabrous capsule, about long and wide.

Taxonomy and naming

''Zieria actites'' was first formally described in 2007 by

Marco Duretto Marco Duretto (born 1964) is a manager and senior research scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney in Australia. His primary research interests are systematics and conservation of Rutaceae, Rubiaceae, Orchidaceae, Stylidiaceae and evolut ...

and Paul Irwin Forster from a specimen collected on Mount Larcom, north-west of Yarwun and the description was published in '' Austrobaileya''. 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 ...

(''actites'') is said to be derived from the Greek word ''actites'', meaning "watcher", referring to the fact that the Pacific ocean can be seen from the mountain tops where this species occurs. In Ancient Greek, ''aktitēs'' (ἀκτίτης) is however the word for "dweller on the coast".Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. Revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie.''Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Distribution and habitat

This zieria grows in open woodland in crevices on rocky cliffs and outcrops on Mount Larcom, higher than about above sea leavel.

Conservation

This zieria is listed as "Endangered" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18084287 actites Sapindales of Australia Flora of Queensland Taxa named by Marco Duretto Plants described in 2007 Taxa named by Paul Irwin Forster