Zieria fordii

Zieria fordii is a multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows to a height of up to and is densely covered with star shaped hairs. The leaves are trifoliate, on a petiole up to long. The leaflets are elliptic to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide with veins visible on the lower surface. The flowers are borne singly or in groups of up to three in leaf axils, the groups on a peduncle long, the individual flowers on a pedicel long. The sepals are long and both surfaces are densely covered with star shaped hairs. The petals are white, long and densely covered with star-shaped hairs on the lower surface. Flowering has been observed from January to July, and the fruits are about long and about wide, containing a shiny black to grey seed about long and about wide. ==Taxonomy==

Zieria fordii was first formally described in 2019 my Marco Duretto, from specimens he collected north-west of Emerald in 2009. The specific epithet (fordii) honours Andrew Ford, "whose keen botanical eye, broad knowledge and excellent and numerous herbarium collections have added significantly to our knowledge of the Queensland flora". ==Distribution and habitat==

This species of Zieria is found in exposed heath and scattered mallee and is confined to Mount Emerald, about south-west of Cairns. ==Conservation status==

Zieria fordii is listed as "endangered" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. It was changed from least concern to "critically endangered" in 2020 by the Queensland Government. It was then changed again in June 2025 to "endangered". It is not classified under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. ==References==