Goodenia holtzeana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Goodenia holtzeana |
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| Near the Mary River | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Goodenia
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| Species: |
holtzeana
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| Synonyms | |
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Calogyne holtzeana Specht |
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Goodenia holtzeana is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Goodeniaceae family. This plant is found only in the northern parts of Australia's Northern Territory. When a plant or animal is found only in one place, it is called endemic.
This plant is an annual, which means it lives for only one growing season. It can grow in different ways: lying flat on the ground (prostrate), growing upwards (ascending), or standing tall (erect). It has yellow flowers with brownish marks. These flowers grow in clusters called racemes.
Contents
What Goodenia holtzeana Looks Like
Goodenia holtzeana is a herb, meaning it has soft stems, not woody ones like a tree. Its stems can grow up to about 60 centimeters (2 feet) long.
Leaves and Stems
The leaves at the bottom of the plant are shaped like an egg or a spear, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. They are usually between 4.5 and 10 centimeters (1.8 to 4 inches) long. These leaves also have small teeth along their edges. The leaves higher up on the stem are smaller and more oval-shaped.
Flowers and Fruit
The yellow flowers of Goodenia holtzeana have brownish markings. They grow in long clusters called racemes, which can be up to 40 centimeters (16 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 1 to 2.5 centimeters (0.4 to 1 inch) long.
The flowers have green, spear-shaped parts called sepals, which are about 4 to 6 millimeters long. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is yellow with brown marks and is about 1.4 to 2 centimeters (0.5 to 0.8 inches) long. The lower parts of the petals have small "wings" on their sides.
Goodenia holtzeana blooms, or flowers, from February to June. After flowering, it produces a small, round or oval fruit. This fruit is a type of nut and is about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.2 inches) across.
How Goodenia holtzeana Got Its Name
This plant was first officially described in 1958 by a scientist named Raymond Specht. He first gave it the name Calogyne holtzeana. He studied plant samples that were collected by Maurice William Holtze near Port Darwin.
Later, in 1990, another scientist named Roger Charles Carolin changed the plant's name to Goodenia holtzeana. He published this new name in a science journal called Telopea. The second part of the name, holtzeana, was chosen to honor Maurice William Holtze, who collected the first samples of the plant. These first samples are called the "type specimens."
Where Goodenia holtzeana Lives
This type of goodenia plant grows in forests. It prefers dry areas in the Top End region of the Northern Territory in Australia.
Protecting Goodenia holtzeana
The government of the Northern Territory has a law called the "Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976." Under this law, Goodenia holtzeana is listed as a species of "least concern." This means that the plant is not currently in danger of disappearing.
Images for kids
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Goodenia holtzeana near the Mary River
