Goodenia hispida facts for kids

Goodenia hispida is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the Goodeniaceae family. This plant is endemic, which means it grows naturally only in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is a herb, which means it's a plant with soft stems, not woody ones like a tree. It has leaves shaped like eggs or spears and pretty yellow flowers that grow in groups.

What it Looks Like

Goodenia hispida is a plant that usually grows straight up. It can reach a height of about 60 centimeters (about 2 feet). Its leaves are shaped like eggs or spears. They are usually between 50 and 80 millimeters long and 10 to 20 millimeters wide. Sometimes, the edges of the leaves have small teeth.

The yellow flowers grow in long clusters called racemes. These clusters can be up to 400 millimeters long. Each flower has small, leaf-like parts called bracts near its base. The flowers sit on stalks called pedicels, which are 50 to 100 millimeters long.

The plant has green parts called sepals, which are shaped like spears and are 4 to 7 millimeters long. The yellow petals are longer, about 15 to 20 millimeters. The lower parts of the flower's petals, called the corolla lobes, are 7 to 8 millimeters long. These lobes have small "wings" that are about 2 millimeters wide.

Goodenia hispida usually flowers from February to May. After flowering, it produces an oval-shaped fruit. This fruit is a capsule, which means it's a dry fruit that opens to release seeds. The capsules are about 10 to 12 millimeters long.

How it Got its Name

The plant Goodenia hispida was first officially described in 1810. A famous botanist named Robert Brown gave it its name. He wrote about it in his book called Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.

The second part of its name, hispida, is a Latin word. It means "with rough or prickly hairs." This name likely describes the texture of some parts of the plant.

Where it Grows

This type of goodenia plant likes to grow in forests. You can find it in the northern parts of the Northern Territory in Australia.

Its Conservation Status

Goodenia hispida is listed as being of "least concern." This means that experts believe there are enough of these plants in the wild. They are not currently worried about it becoming endangered. This status is given under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976.