Persoonia cordifolia facts for kids

Persoonia cordifolia is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the Proteaceae family. It is found only in a small area in the south of Western Australia. This plant is a shrub that grows upright or spreads out. It has smooth, patchy grey bark, leaves shaped like wide hearts, and bright yellow flowers. These flowers grow in small groups along a stem up to 25 millimeters (about 1 inch) long.

What Does It Look Like?

Persoonia cordifolia is a bushy plant that typically grows to be 1 to 2 meters (about 3 to 6.5 feet) tall. It has many stems that grow from its base and smooth, mottled grey bark.

Its leaves are arranged in pairs opposite each other. They are broadly heart-shaped, measuring 7 to 12 millimeters (about 0.3 to 0.5 inches) long and 6 to 13 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.5 inches) wide.

The bright yellow flowers grow in groups of two to eight along a stem up to 25 millimeters long. After the plant flowers, this stem often grows into a leafy shoot. Each flower sits on a small stalk, 3 to 5 millimeters (about 0.1 to 0.2 inches) long. The flower parts, called tepals, are about 11 millimeters (about 0.4 inches) long and have bright yellow anthers, which are the parts that hold pollen. This plant usually flowers from December to January.

How It Got Its Name

The plant Persoonia cordifolia was officially named and described in 1994. This happened in a science magazine called Telopea. The description was made by Peter Weston. He used plant samples that William R. Archer had collected in 1991. These samples were found near Mount Heywood, about 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) northeast of Esperance.

Where Does It Grow?

This type of geebung plant is only found in two places. The first is where the original samples were collected. The second spot is about 8.5 kilometers (about 5 miles) away. It grows in a type of open land with small shrubs, known as heath, in the south of Western Australia.