Goodenia elaiosoma facts for kids

Goodenia elaiosoma is a type of flowering plant found only in the northern part of Australia's Northern Territory. It's a small, soft plant that lives for about one year. Its new parts are covered with white hairs. This plant has long, narrow leaves and clusters of purplish-brown flowers. The tips of its petals can be cream or dark maroon.

What it Looks Like

Goodenia elaiosoma is a low-growing plant, meaning it doesn't get very tall. Its stems can grow up to 70 centimeters (about 27 inches) long. The younger parts of the plant are covered in soft, white hairs.

Its leaves grow along the stems. They are long and thin, like a line, measuring between 6 and 35 millimeters (about 0.2 to 1.4 inches) long and 1 to 2 millimeters (about 0.04 to 0.08 inches) wide. The leaves get shorter as they get closer to the end of the stems.

The flowers grow in clusters called racemes. Each flower sits on its own small stalk, called a pedicel, which is 10 to 18 millimeters (about 0.4 to 0.7 inches) long. At the bottom of each flower stalk, there are small, leaf-like parts called bracts.

The sepals, which are the small, leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud, are also linear and measure 1 to 1.7 millimeters (about 0.04 to 0.07 inches) long. The petals, which together form the corolla, are purplish-brown and 5 to 7 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. Their tips can be cream or a dark maroon color. The lower parts of the petals are 3.3 to 4 millimeters (about 0.13 to 0.16 inches) long and have small "wings" that are 0.8 to 1.3 millimeters (about 0.03 to 0.05 inches) wide.

This plant usually flowers from March to May. After flowering, it produces a fruit that is a small, oval-shaped capsule. This capsule is 3 to 6 millimeters (about 0.12 to 0.24 inches) long and holds a seed. Each seed has a special oily part called an elaiosome.

Plant Name and History

The plant Goodenia elaiosoma was officially named in 2005 by a scientist named Ian D. Cowie. He described it in a science journal called Austrobaileya. He had collected samples of the plant near Hope Inlet in the year 2000.

The second part of its name, elaiosoma, comes from Ancient Greek words. It means "oil body." This name was chosen because the plant's seeds have a special oily part called an elaiosome.

Where it Lives

This type of goodenia plant grows in different kinds of open areas. You can find it in grasslands, areas with sedges (grass-like plants), or in open woodlands. It lives in the northern parts of the Northern Territory, from the Finniss River near Darwin all the way to Kakadu National Park.