Kingdom Plantae Subfamily Rutoideae Higher classification Rutaceae Order Sapindales | Family Rutaceae Scientific name Zieria Rank Genus | |
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Similar Rutaceae, Zieria smithii, Phebalium, Boronia, Philotheca | ||
Zieria is a genus of plants in the citrus family Rutaceae family. About sixty species have been formally described, all of which are endemic in Australia except for one species which is found in New Caledonia. They occur in all Australian states except Western Australia but the genus is under review and a number of species are yet to be described or the description published. Zierias are similar to the better known Boronia genus but can be distinguished by the number of stamens in the flowers. The name Zieria honours the Polish botanist John Zier.
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Description
Plants in the genus Zieria are shrubs or small trees. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are usually compound with three leaflets similar in shape but the middlle leaflet slightly larger. The flowers are arranged in groups in the leaf axils and have four fused sepals and four petals alternating with the sepals. There are four stamens (eight in Boronia) and four carpels with their styles fused. The fruit have four lobes, each containing one or two seeds.
Taxonomy and naming
The genus Zieria was first formally described in 1798 by James Edward Smith and the description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. Smith did not nominate a type species but James Armstrong nominated Zieria smithii as the lectotype. The name Zieria honours "John Zier, a Polish botanist, who assisted F.C. Ehrhart in his collection of plants of the Electorate of Hanover, 1780-83, and afterwards worked in London, where he died in 1793."
Distribution
Plants in the genus Zieria are endemic in Australia, except for Zieria chevalieri, which is found in New Caledonia. Zierias occur in all Australian states except for Western Australia.
Species include: