Goodenia disperma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Goodenia disperma |
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| A=flower; B=foliage | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Goodenia
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| Species: |
disperma
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Goodenia disperma is a special kind of flowering plant found only in Queensland, Australia. It's a small, upright woody plant with long, narrow leaves and pretty white flowers that grow in clusters. It belongs to the Goodeniaceae plant family.
What it Looks Like
Goodenia disperma is a small, upright plant that usually grows up to about 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) tall. It doesn't have many branches. Its leaves are long and narrow, like thin lines, and they grow along the stem. These leaves can be anywhere from 3 to 50 millimeters long and about 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide.
The white flowers grow in long clusters called racemes, which can be up to 150 millimeters long. Each flower has small, leaf-like parts called bracts at its base. The flowers sit on tiny stalks, or pedicels, that are only 1 to 2 millimeters long.
The outer parts of the flower, called sepals, are long and narrow, about 4 to 5 millimeters long. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is white and about 9 millimeters long. The lower parts of the corolla are 3 to 5 millimeters long and have small, flat extensions called wings, which are about 0.5 millimeters wide.
This plant flowers from November to May. After flowering, it produces an oval-shaped fruit called a capsule, which is about 8 millimeters long.
Naming the Plant
The plant Goodenia disperma was first officially described in 1859 by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He wrote about it in his book Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Later, in 1990, another scientist named Roger Charles Carolin chose specific plant samples collected near the Dawson River to be the main example, or lectotype, for this species.
The second part of the plant's scientific name, disperma, means "double-seeded." This probably refers to a feature of its seeds or fruit.
Where it Lives
You can find Goodenia disperma growing in forests and woodlands. It lives on the high flat land in Queensland, stretching from west of Townsville all the way to west of Bundaberg.
How it is Protected
The Queensland Government has a law called the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Under this law, Goodenia disperma is listed as being of "least concern." This means that the plant is not currently considered to be at risk of disappearing.
