Jacksonia (plant) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jacksonia |
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| Jacksonia furcellata | |
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Jacksonia
R.Br. ex Sm.
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See text |
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Piptomeris Turcz. |
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Jacksonia is a group of about forty different types of plants. Most of these plants are shrubs or small trees that look like brooms. They often don't have many leaves. These plants belong to the flowering plant family called Fabaceae, which also includes peas and beans.
All Jacksonia plants are found only in Australia. They grow in many different places across all Australian states, except for South Australia.
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What Jacksonia Plants Look Like
Jacksonia plants are usually shrubs or small trees. They have stiff branches and their leaves are very tiny, like small scales.
Flowers and Their Parts
The flowers of Jacksonia plants grow in groups called spikes or racemes. Each flower has small leaf-like parts called bracts.
The green parts under the petals, called sepals, are joined together to form a short tube. The colorful petals are usually shorter than these sepals.
The top petal, which is often the largest, is shaped like a circle or a kidney. The two side petals are long and narrow. The bottom two petals are joined together to form a shape called a keel. This keel petal is usually straight and wider than the side petals.
How Jacksonia Got Its Name
The name Jacksonia was first officially used by a scientist named James Edward Smith. He used notes from another scientist, Robert Brown. Smith wrote about the genus in 1811.
He also described two specific types of Jacksonia plants: J. scoparia and J. spinosa. Smith explained that Robert Brown had named the plants to remember George Jackson. George Jackson was a botanist who sadly passed away at a young age. He was known for being a kind person who loved the science of plants.
Types of Jacksonia Plants
There are many different types of Jacksonia plants. Here are a few examples:
- Jacksonia furcellata is also known as grey stinkwood.
- Jacksonia scoparia is sometimes called dogwood.
- Jacksonia sericea is known as waldjumi.
- Jacksonia sternbergiana is called stinkwood or green stinkwood.
There are also many other species that scientists are still studying to confirm their exact classification.
