Goodenia campestris facts for kids

Goodenia campestris is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Goodeniaceae family. This plant is found only in northern Australia. It is a low-growing herb with leaves shaped like eggs or spears. Its flowers are yellowish with purple lines and grow in clusters.

About the Plant

Goodenia campestris is a plant that grows low to the ground or slightly upright. Its stems can be up to 0.5 meters (about 1.6 feet) long. The stems are mostly smooth, meaning they don't have hairs.

Most of the leaves grow on the stem. They are shaped like an egg or a spear. These leaves are usually 10 to 30 millimeters (about 0.4 to 1.2 inches) long. They are also 4 to 10 millimeters (about 0.16 to 0.4 inches) wide. The leaves have small teeth along their edges and attach directly to the stem without a stalk.

The flowers grow in clusters called racemes at the ends of the stems. These flower stalks can be up to 300 millimeters (about 1 foot) long. Each flower has its own small stalk, called a pedicel, which is 15 to 70 millimeters (about 0.6 to 2.8 inches) long. There are leaf-like parts called bracts at the base of each flower stalk.

The flower has small, spear-shaped or narrow parts called sepals, which are 1 to 2 millimeters long. The petals are yellowish with purple lines and are 7 to 8 millimeters long. The lower parts of the flower petals are about 2 millimeters long. They have small "wings" that are about 0.5 to 1 millimeter wide. This plant has been seen flowering in May. After flowering, it produces a round fruit called a capsule, which is about 5 millimeters long.

Plant Discovery and Naming

The plant Goodenia campestris was officially described in 1990. It was named by a scientist named Roger Charles Carolin. He wrote about it in a science journal called Telopea. Carolin had collected samples of this plant near Timber Creek in 1968.

Where It Grows

This goodenia plant grows in grasslands. It likes to grow on black soil plains. You can find it in the Victoria Bonaparte area. This region covers parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia in Australia.

Protecting the Plant

The Goodenia campestris plant has a special status to show how common or rare it is.

• The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife says it is "not threatened." This means there are enough of these plants, and they are not in danger of disappearing.
• However, the Northern Territory Government says its status is "data deficient." This means there isn't enough information yet to know if the plant is common or rare in the Northern Territory. More research is needed to find out.