Zig-zag hand-flower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zig-zag hand-flower |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Goodenia
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| Species: |
anfracta
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The Zig-zag hand-flower (Goodenia anfracta) is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the Goodeniaceae plant family. You can only find it growing naturally in central Australia, which means it's endemic there. This plant is a low-growing shrub that spreads out close to the ground. It has unique leaves that can be long and thin, or shaped like a spear or an egg. Its pretty yellow flowers grow in small clusters called racemes. Each flower has tiny, leaf-like parts called bracteoles at its base. After flowering, it produces round-ish fruits.
What the Zig-zag Hand-flower Looks Like
The Zig-zag hand-flower is a herb that grows low to the ground. It usually reaches about 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) tall. Its branches are covered in tiny hairs and grow in a zig-zag pattern, which is how it got its name!
The leaves on the stem look like needles. Sometimes, they grow in small bunches. The leaves closer to the base of the plant are shaped like a spear or an egg, with the narrower part at the bottom. These leaves are usually 10 to 30 millimeters (about 0.4 to 1.2 inches) long and 2 to 4 millimeters (about 0.08 to 0.16 inches) wide. Some of them might even have small teeth along their edges.
The flowers grow in small groups called racemes, which can be up to 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) long. Each flower sits on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is 8 to 16 millimeters (about 0.3 to 0.6 inches) long.
The green leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud, called sepals, are shaped like a spear or an oval and are about 3 millimeters (about 0.12 inches) long. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is yellow and measures 8 to 9 millimeters (about 0.3 to 0.35 inches) long. It's also hairy on the inside! The lower parts of the corolla are about 3 millimeters long and have thin, flat edges called wings, which can be up to 1.5 millimeters (about 0.06 inches) wide.
You can usually see these plants flowering in August. After the flowers bloom, they turn into a round-ish fruit called a capsule.
How It Got Its Name
The Zig-zag hand-flower was first officially described in 1927. A scientist named John McConnell Black wrote about it in a scientific paper called the Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. He used plant samples that Richard Helms had collected way back in 1891.
The second part of its scientific name, anfracta, comes from a Latin word. It means "zig-zag" or "crooked," which perfectly describes the plant's wavy branches!
Where the Zig-zag Hand-flower Lives
The Zig-zag hand-flower grows in sandy areas that are a bit salty. You can find it near salty springs or salt lakes. It lives in northern South Australia, the southern parts of the Northern Territory, and central-eastern Western Australia.
