Hill goodenia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hill goodenia |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Goodenia
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| Species: |
havilandii
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The Hill Goodenia (Goodenia havilandii) is a type of flowering plant found only in the drier parts of southern Australia. It belongs to the Goodeniaceae family. This plant is a short-lived herb that grows low to the ground or slightly upwards. It has sticky leaves and beautiful yellowish flowers with a brown center, arranged in clusters called racemes.
Contents
What the Hill Goodenia Looks Like
The Hill Goodenia is a herb that can grow stems up to 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) long. These stems are covered in tiny, sticky hairs, which are called glandular hairs.
Its leaves grow near the base of the plant. They are long and narrow, sometimes shaped like a spear. They can be from 20 to 90 millimeters (about 0.8 to 3.5 inches) long and 2 to 15 millimeters (about 0.08 to 0.6 inches) wide. Sometimes, the edges of the leaves have small teeth.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of the Hill Goodenia grow in long clusters called racemes, which can be up to 200 millimeters (about 8 inches) long. Each flower has small, leaf-like parts called bracts near its base. Each flower also sits on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is about 8 to 15 millimeters (0.3 to 0.6 inches) long.
The flowers have small, oval-shaped sepals, which are about 1.5 millimeters long. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is yellowish with a brown center. It measures 3 to 12 millimeters (0.1 to 0.5 inches) long and has a few hairs on the inside. The lower parts of the corolla are 1 to 3 millimeters long and have small "wings" that are 0.5 to 1 millimeter wide.
This plant can flower during most months of the year. After flowering, it produces a round fruit called a capsule, which is about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.2 inches) across.
How the Hill Goodenia Got Its Name
The Hill Goodenia was first officially described in 1913. Two botanists, Joseph Maiden and Ernst Betche, gave it its scientific name, Goodenia havilandii. They published their description in a scientific journal called the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.
The second part of its scientific name, havilandii, was chosen to honor Archdeacon Francis Ernest Haviland. He was an amateur botanist who lived from 1859 to 1945. He helped collect plant samples, including some near a place called Cobar in 1911.
Where the Hill Goodenia Grows
The Hill Goodenia is found in the drier parts of southern Australia. You can find it in inland areas of New South Wales, the southern part of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. It likes to grow in these dry environments.
