Persoonia cuspidifera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Persoonia cuspidifera |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Persoonia
|
| Species: |
cuspidifera
|
 |
|
| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
Persoonia cuspidifera is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the Proteaceae family. You can only find it growing naturally in northern New South Wales, Australia. This plant is a straight-growing shrub with leaves shaped like a spatula. It has greenish-yellow, tube-shaped flowers that grow in bunches of up to twenty-five.
Contents
What Does Persoonia cuspidifera Look Like?
Persoonia cuspidifera is a shrub that stands upright. It usually grows to be about 0.3–2 m (1 ft 0 in – 6 ft 7 in) tall. Its younger branches are covered in fine hairs.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of this plant are shaped like a spatula, which means they are wider at the tip and narrower at the base. They are typically 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long and 1.5–5 mm (0.059–0.197 in) wide.
The flowers grow in groups, with as many as twenty-five flowers in one bunch. These bunches grow along a main stem called a rachis, which can be up to 70 mm (2.8 in) long. Each flower sits on its own small, upright, hairy stalk called a pedicel, about 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long.
The flower parts, called tepals, are greenish-yellow. They are 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long and have some hairs on the outside. Inside, the yellow anthers hold the pollen.
Flowering Time and Fruit
Persoonia cuspidifera flowers between November and March. After flowering, it produces a green fruit with purple stripes. This fruit is a type of drupe, which means it has a fleshy outer part and a hard pit inside.
How Was Persoonia cuspidifera Named?
The plant Persoonia cuspidifera was officially described for the first time in 1991. This was done by two scientists, Lawrie Johnson and Peter Weston. They published their description in a science journal called Telopea. The specimens they used to describe the plant were collected in 1990 near where the Newell and Oxley Highways meet.
Where Does Persoonia cuspidifera Grow?
This special plant, also known as a geebung, grows in the forests of northern New South Wales. It prefers areas with lots of heath and scrubby plants growing underneath the taller trees. You can find it in places like the Pilliga Scrub and the lower parts of the Warrumbungles mountains.
