Goodenia coronopifolia facts for kids

Goodenia coronopifolia is a fascinating flowering plant. It belongs to the Goodeniaceae family. This plant is found only in north-western Australia, which means it is endemic to that area. It is a type of herb, so it doesn't have a woody stem like a tree. This plant has mostly long, narrow leaves. The leaves at the bottom of the plant are often divided into thin parts. Its flowers are yellow with brownish-purple marks. They grow in special clusters called racemes. After the flowers, it produces small, round fruits.

What Does Goodenia coronopifolia Look Like?

Goodenia coronopifolia is a small plant. It often grows flat on the ground, or sometimes it grows a little bit upwards. Its stems can be from 5 to 40 centimeters (about 2 to 16 inches) long. The plant is often glabrous, which means it has no hairs and feels smooth.

The leaves at the bottom of the plant are quite long. They can be from 20 to 100 millimeters (about 0.8 to 4 inches) long. They are also 1 to 10 millimeters (about 0.04 to 0.4 inches) wide. These leaves can be long and narrow, or slightly oval-shaped. They might have small teeth along their edges or even be divided into narrow sections. The leaves that grow on the stem are usually long and narrow with smooth edges.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of Goodenia coronopifolia grow in clusters called racemes. These clusters can be up to 300 millimeters (about 12 inches) long. At the base of each flower cluster, there are small, leaf-like parts called bracts. Each flower sits on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is about 10 to 30 millimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) long.

The flowers have small, lance-shaped or oblong sepals. These are like tiny leaves that protect the flower bud. They are only 1 to 2 millimeters long. The main petals, called the corolla, are yellow. They have brownish-purple markings and are about 5 to 9 millimeters (0.2 to 0.35 inches) long. The lower parts of the corolla are about 2 to 3 millimeters long. They have tiny "wings" that are about 0.5 millimeters wide.

This plant usually flowers from May to October. After flowering, it produces a fruit. This fruit is a round capsule, which is a dry fruit that opens to release seeds. The capsule is about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) across.

How Goodenia coronopifolia Got Its Name

The plant Goodenia coronopifolia was first officially described in 1810. This was done by a famous botanist named Robert Brown. He wrote about it in his book called Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.

The second part of the plant's name, coronopifolia, tells us something special. It means "Coronopus-leaved". This suggests that its leaves look similar to those of a plant called Coronopus. Giving plants two names like this (genus and species) is called binomial nomenclature. It helps scientists around the world know exactly which plant they are talking about.

Where Does Goodenia coronopifolia Grow?

This goodenia plant is found in the northern parts of Australia. You can find it in the Northern Territory and also in Western Australia.

Is Goodenia coronopifolia Endangered?

It's good news for Goodenia coronopifolia! This plant is not considered to be in danger. The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife says it is "not threatened". Also, the Northern Territory Government lists it as being of "least concern". This means there are plenty of these plants in the wild.