Family: Rutaceae
Plant: A dense spreading, rusty-stemmed shrub 1-2m high with rusty scales on its stems.
Flowers: Cream to white, 5-petalled, star-like flowers with 10 erect stamens and scales on the outside of the corolla. The inflorescence is a terminal cluster.
Flowering: August-November.
Fruit: Erect 5-lobed slightly rounded cocci about 3.5mm long.
Leaves: Variable but mostly oblong to elliptic 1-3.5cm long and up to 1cm wide. The leaves are dull green above with dense silver hairs on the underside, have a rounded and notched tip and are aromatic.
Habitat: In coastal areas of heathland.
Features: Leaves dull green on upper surface, but with dense silvery hairs on the underside. Clusters of cream to white star-like flowers. Note: You may come across a plant that is almost identical to Phebalium squamulosum subsp. argenteum. This is the almost identical P. squamulosum subsp. squamulosum, a less common plant that differs mainly in that its flowers are pale yellow and it has slightly larger leaves that are dull on their upper side and have a prominent mid-vein.
Name:
Phebalium From Greek phibalee = a type of Myrtle.
squamulosum
From Latin = scaly (referring to the scales on its leaves).
argenteum From Latin = silver (referring to the silver scales and hairs on its leaves).
|
Type |
Shrub |
|
|
Flowers |
Form |
Regular, Cluster |
|
|
Colour(s) |
White, Cream |
|
|
Petal/Sepal No. |
5 |
|
|
Flowering Month |
8, 9, 10, 11 |
|
Fruit |
Type |
Other |
|
|
Colour |
Brown |
|
|
Other Features |
- |
|
Leaves |
Arrangement |
Alternate |
|
|
Type |
Simple |
|
|
Shape |
Linear, Oval |
|
|
Length |
Short |
|
|
Margins |
Entire |
|
|
Attachment |
Stalked, Unstalked |
|
|
Other Features |
Aromatic, Oil, |
|
|
|
dots/glands, Hairy |
|
|
|
Discolorous |
|
Bark |
Scaly/Corky |
|
|
Habitat |
Heathland |
|