Goodenia gypsicola facts for kids

Goodenia gypsicola is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to areas of salt lakes in inland Australia. It is a perennial herb with spatula-shaped leaves and racemes of pale blue flowers.

Description

Goodenia gypsicola is a perennial, tuft-forming herb that typically grows to a height of 60 cm (24 in) and sometimes has up to one hundred leaves. The leaves are spatula-shaped, up to 30 mm (1.2 in) long and 10 mm (0.39 in) wide, sometimes with two or three lobes. The flowers are arranged in racemes 200–350 mm (7.9–13.8 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 5.5–7 mm (0.22–0.28 in) long with bracts 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) long at the base. The sepals are about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, the corolla pale blue, about 6 mm (0.24 in) long. Flowering occurs in October.

Taxonomy and naming

Goodenia gypsicola was first formally described in 2000 by David Eric Symon in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. The specific epithet (gypsicola) means "gypsum-inhabiting".

Distribution and habitat

This goodenia grows in consolidated gypsum in scattered salt lakes in Western Australia and in the Serpentine Lakes area of South Australia.

Conservation status

Goodenia gypsicola is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.