Persoonia elliptica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snottygobble |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Persoonia
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| Species: |
elliptica
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| Where Snottygobble grows in Australia | |
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The Snottygobble (Persoonia elliptica) is a special plant found only in the south-west of Western Australia. It's also called the spreading snottygobble. This plant is part of the Proteaceae family, which includes many unique Australian plants. It can be a tall bush or a small tree. You can spot it by its long, oval-shaped leaves and its bright yellow, tube-shaped flowers. Snottygobbles often grow in forests with big jarrah or marri trees, usually close to the coast.
Contents
What Does Snottygobble Look Like?
The Snottygobble is usually a tall bush or a small, strong tree. It can grow up to 8 meters (about 26 feet) high. It often has just one main trunk. The bark on its trunk is grey and feels like cork.
Its leaves grow one after another along the stem. They are shaped like a spear or an egg, but narrower at the bottom. These leaves are about 5 to 11 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) long. They are soft and bendy, with the same color on both sides. You can see a clear vein down the middle on the underside of the leaf.
Flowers and Fruit
Snottygobble flowers grow in groups of 4 to 25. You'll find them at the ends of branches or where leaves join the stem. Each flower sits on a short, hairy stalk. The flowers are made of four smooth, yellow parts called tepals. These tepals are joined at the bottom, but their tips curl back.
Inside the flower, there's a central part called a style. Four greenish-yellow anthers surround this style. They are also joined at the base, and their tips curl back. This makes the flower look like a cross when you look at it from the end.
Snottygobble plants usually flower from October to February. After the flowers, they grow smooth, green fruits. These fruits are called drupes, which are like small stone fruits. They are about 1 to 1.5 centimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long.
How Snottygobble Got Its Name
The scientific name Persoonia elliptica was first officially written down in 1810. This was done by a botanist named Robert Brown. He found a sample of the plant near Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia. He published his description in a science journal called Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.
The name Persoonia honors a famous botanist named Christiaan Hendrik Persoon. The word elliptica describes the shape of the leaves, which are often oval or elliptical.
Where Snottygobble Grows
The Snottygobble usually grows as a smaller bush under taller trees. It likes forests where jarrah or marri trees are common. You can find it along the coast between the cities of Perth and Albany.
It grows in several different natural areas of Western Australia. These include the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, and Warren regions. You can tell it apart from a similar plant, Persoonia longifolia, because Snottygobble has a single trunk, larger leaves with a narrow base, and compact grey bark.
Is Snottygobble Protected?
The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at the Snottygobble. They have officially said that this plant is "not threatened." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
