Coopernookia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coopernookia |
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| Coopernookia georgei in Kings Park Botanic Garden | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Goodeniaceae |
| Genus: | Coopernookia Carolin |
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Coopernookia is a group of six types of small perennial shrubs. This means they are plants that live for more than two years. All six types grow only in Australia, which is called being endemic. These plants often have hairy leaves that can feel sticky. Their flowers have a special shape called bilateral symmetry, meaning you can cut them in half and both sides will be mirror images.
Contents
What is Coopernookia Like?
Coopernookia plants are small shrubs. They are covered with tiny, star-shaped hairs. These hairs are often glandular, which means they can produce sticky stuff.
Their leaves usually sit directly on the stem or are very close to it. Sometimes, the edges of the leaves have small teeth, or they might curl under. The flowers grow at the ends of the branches, surrounded by leaves.
Each flower has five sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the bud. It also has a white, purple, or pinkish corolla, which is the fancy word for all the petals together. The petals are not all the same size and have wide, wing-like parts. The stamens, which produce pollen, are separate from each other. The ovary, where the seeds grow, is located below the petals and sepals.
How Scientists Named Coopernookia
The group of plants called Coopernookia was first officially described in 1968. A scientist named Roger Carolin wrote about it in a science paper.
The first species added to this new group was Coopernookia barbata. Before this, it was known by a different name, Goodenia barbata. Because it was the first, Coopernookia barbata is called the type species for the whole group.
Roger Carolin thought that Coopernookia was a mix between two other plant groups: Scaevola and Goodenia. The name Coopernookia comes from the Coopernook State Forest in Australia. One of the species, C. chisholmii, is very common there.
Types of Coopernookia Plants
The Australian Plant Census officially recognizes six different species of Coopernookia:
- Coopernookia barbata – Found in New South Wales (N.S.W.), Victoria (Vic.), and sadly, it's thought to be gone from Tasmania (Tas.).
- Coopernookia chisholmii – Grows in New South Wales (N.S.W.).
- Coopernookia georgei – Found in Western Australia (W.A.).
- Coopernookia polygalacea – Also found in Western Australia (W.A.).
- Coopernookia scabridiuscula – Grows in Queensland (Qld.).
- Coopernookia strophiolata – Found in Western Australia (W.A.) and South Australia (S.A.).
See also
In Spanish: Coopernookia para niños
