Goodenia glareicola facts for kids

Goodenia glareicola is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the Goodeniaceae family. You can only find it growing naturally in the south-west part of Western Australia. This plant is a perennial herb, which means it's a plant without a woody stem that lives for more than two years. It stands upright and has long, narrow leaves. Its flowers are a lovely blue color with small purplish spots, arranged in clusters called racemes.

What Does Goodenia glareicola Look Like?

Goodenia glareicola is an upright plant. It's a perennial herb that usually grows to about 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) tall. It can be either glabrous, meaning it's smooth and hairless, or glaucous, which means it has a pale, grayish-blue color.

Leaves and Stems

The leaves at the bottom of the plant are long and narrow. They are shaped like a spear, wider at the top and narrower at the base. These leaves are usually between 20 and 30 millimeters long (about 1 inch). They are also quite thin, about 2 to 4 millimeters wide. The leaves that grow higher up on the stems are usually smaller.

Flowers and Their Parts

The flowers of Goodenia glareicola grow in long clusters called racemes. These racemes can be up to 200 millimeters (about 8 inches) long. Each flower cluster grows on a stalk called a peduncle, which is about 8 to 20 millimeters long. At the base of the peduncle, there are small, leaf-like parts called bracts, which are 1 to 2 millimeters long.

Each individual flower sits on a small stalk called a pedicel, usually 5 to 10 millimeters long. Near the base of each flower, there are tiny, narrow bracteoles, about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long.

The plant's sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the flower bud, are spear-shaped and 3 to 4 millimeters long. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is blue and about 15 millimeters long. The lower parts of the corolla are 6 to 7 millimeters long and have small "wings" that are 2 to 2.5 millimeters wide.

Flowering Time and Fruit

You can see Goodenia glareicola in bloom from October to January. After the flowers, the plant produces a fruit. This fruit is an oval-shaped capsule, which is a dry fruit that splits open to release seeds. The capsule is about 8 to 9 millimeters long.

How Goodenia glareicola Got Its Name

This plant was officially described in 1990 by a scientist named Roger Charles Carolin. He wrote about it in a science journal called Telopea. The plant material he used for his description was collected in 1931 by another person named William Blackall near a town called Newdegate.

Meaning of the Name

The second part of the plant's scientific name, glareicola, is very interesting. It comes from Latin words. "Glarei" means "gravel," and "cola" means "inhabiting" or "living in." So, Goodenia glareicola literally means "gravel-inhabiting goodenia." This name perfectly describes where this plant likes to grow!

Where Goodenia glareicola Lives

This type of goodenia plant grows in specific kinds of soil. It prefers soil that is gravelly or sandy. You can find it in the south-west region of Western Australia. Its range stretches from a town called Mullewa all the way down to Lake Grace.

Is Goodenia glareicola Safe?

The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of how many of these plants are in the wild. They have classified Goodenia glareicola as "not threatened." This means that there are enough of these plants in nature, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.