Persoonia acicularis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Persoonia acicularis |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Persoonia
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| Species: |
acicularis
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| Occurrence data downloaded from AVH | |
| Synonyms | |
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Linkia acicularis (F.Muell.) Kuntze |
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Persoonia acicularis is a cool flowering plant. It belongs to the Proteaceae family. You can only find it growing naturally along the west coast of Western Australia. This plant is a type of shrub. It has long, thin leaves with sharp points. When it blooms, it shows off beautiful yellow flowers. These flowers grow in groups, sometimes as many as eighty flowers together!
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
Persoonia acicularis is a shrub. It usually grows to be about 10 centimeters (4 inches) to 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall. Its young branches have soft, greyish hairs.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of this plant are long and thin. They are shaped like a cylinder, almost like a needle. Each leaf is about 12 to 25 millimeters (0.5 to 1 inch) long. They are also very narrow, only about 0.6 to 1 millimeter wide. The tips of the leaves are sharply pointed.
The flowers are yellow and shaped like small cylinders. They grow in groups of up to eighty flowers. These groups can be found along the stems, reaching up to 120 millimeters (about 4.7 inches) long. Each individual flower is about 8.5 to 15.5 millimeters (0.3 to 0.6 inches) long. They grow on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is 3 to 10 millimeters long.
How It Got Its Name
Persoonia acicularis was first officially described in 1868. A scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller wrote about it. He included the description in his book, Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. The plants he studied were collected by Augustus Frederick Oldfield. They were found near the Murchison River.
Meaning of the Name
The second part of its name, acicularis, comes from Latin. It means "needle-shaped." This name perfectly describes the plant's thin, pointed leaves!
Where It Lives
This type of persoonia plant grows in areas with heathland. Heathland is a type of open land with small shrubs. You can find Persoonia acicularis in coastal areas of Western Australia. It grows between Shark Bay and the Arrowsmith River. These areas are part of the Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo biogeographic regions.
Is It Endangered?
The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of plants. They have classified Persoonia acicularis as "not threatened." This means that there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not in danger of disappearing.
