What is Bauera?

Bauera is the name of a small genus of shrubs that are common to Australia. The genus is divided into three species: Bauera rubiodoides, Bauera capitata, and the Bauera sessiflora. These species can be seen in vast areas of eastern and southern Australia, such as Tasmania and Victoria. The plants can also be found in New South Wales and Queensland. It often has lance-shaped leaves and grows up to two feet (61 cm) tall and five feet (1.5 m) in width.

The genus usually blooms with white, pink, or purple flowers. Its shrubs have no stalk. Each section is arranged in a circle resembling a whorl and consists of six leaves. Flowers bloom in a solitary manner and grow up to one inch (around two and a half cm) in diameter. Bauera also produces a fruit, which is a two-celled capsule that contains a number of round, brown seeds.

Bauera rubiodoides is named after the rubia plant. This species is a hairy shrubbery that grows in a scrambled, upright direction. It has tough and wiry stems that grow from one and a half feet (0.5 m) to five feet (one and a half m) in length. Slender stems carry the pink-colored flowers, which have numerous stamens. Its small leaves are light green, lance-shaped, and usually serrated.

Named after its many flower heads, Bauera capitata is a low-growing shrub with a number of woody stems. The leaves are small and narrow, light green in color, and have a lobe at each side. Each flower grows in a solitary axil. A number of bloom pairs come together at the end of the stem, forming little flower heads.

Bauera sessiflora is a shrub that grows in an erect position with wide branches from five feet (one and a half m) to six feet (1.8 m) high. Leaves of this plant are dark green in color, usually lance-shaped, and quite hairy. Flowers are crowded closely on the stems; its petals are pink or violet. Sometimes its flowers are hinted with a magenta color and have dark stamens.

The entire genus tends to grow very close to fellow plants. It is likely to breed well in moist locations that are cool and shaded. This genus, however, could also survive in locations with open sunlight. It can grow as long as the moisture in the air is maintained. These species are one of the most popular evergreens found in Australia and frequently called river rose, wire scrub, and rose heath.