Goodenia bicolor facts for kids

Goodenia bicolor is a pretty flowering plant that belongs to the Goodenia family. It is only found naturally in the north-western parts of Australia. This plant is a type of herb that lives for just one year or a short time, often after it rains. It has leaves shaped like a spear or an egg, and its flowers grow in clusters. These flowers can be yellow, or a mix of yellow and purple. After flowering, it produces small, oval-shaped fruits.

What it Looks Like

Goodenia bicolor is a small plant that lives for one season or a very short time. It usually grows to about 40 millimeters (about 1.5 inches) tall. Its leaves are covered in soft hairs and are shaped like a spear or an egg, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The edges of the leaves have small, uneven teeth. They can be from 20 to 50 millimeters (0.8 to 2 inches) long and 6 to 20 millimeters (0.2 to 0.8 inches) wide.

The flowers grow in long clusters called racemes, which can be up to 300 millimeters (about 12 inches) long. Each flower grows on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is about 2 millimeters long. At the base of each flower stalk, there are tiny, narrow leaf-like parts called bracteoles.

The flowers have small, narrow sepals (the green parts that protect the bud) about 1.5 millimeters long. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is usually yellow or a mix of yellow and purple. It is about 5 to 8 millimeters long. The lower parts of the corolla are about 3 millimeters long and have small "wings" about 0.8 millimeters wide. This plant usually flowers from March to June. After flowering, it produces an oval-shaped fruit called a capsule, which is about 3 to 4 millimeters long.

How it Got its Name

The plant Goodenia bicolor was first officially described in 1859 by a scientist named George Bentham. He used notes from another scientist, Ferdinand von Mueller. The name bicolor means "two-coloured" in Latin. This refers to the flowers, which can be yellow and purple.

Where it Lives

This goodenia plant likes to grow in areas that get wet during certain seasons. You can find it in northern Western Australia and the north-west part of the Northern Territory.

Conservation Status

Good news! Goodenia bicolor is not considered to be in danger. The government of Western Australia says it is "not threatened." Also, the Northern Territory government lists it as of "least concern." This means there are plenty of these plants around, and they are not at risk of disappearing.