Persoonia laxa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Persoonia laxa |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Persoonia
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| Species: |
laxa
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| Synonyms | |
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Persoonia nutans subsp. b sensu jacobs & pickard |
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The Persoonia laxa was a special type of shrub that grew in the Sydney area of eastern Australia. Sadly, it is now believed to be extinct, which means it has completely disappeared from Earth.
About the Persoonia laxa
What It Looked Like
The Persoonia laxa was a shrub that either spread out or grew low to the ground. It had smooth bark. Its leaves were flat and shaped like thin lines, about 8 to 15 millimeters long and 1 to 1.8 millimeters wide. The edges of its leaves curled backwards. When new parts of the plant grew, they had a few hairs on them.
The flowers of P. laxa were quite unique. Each flower grew on its own small stalk, called a pedicel. These stalks were smooth and about 6 to 8 millimeters long. The flowers usually appeared in groups of one to three. Each flower had a tube-shaped outer part, called a perianth, made of parts called tepals that were mostly joined together. Inside the flower were both male and female parts. The tepals were about 8 to 9 millimeters long and smooth on the outside. The central part, called the style, was surrounded by the anther. The anther split into four parts that curled back, looking like a cross when seen from above.
Where It Lived
The Persoonia laxa was found in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, New South Wales. It was collected in places like Newport in 1907 and Manly in 1908. Another plant, found in Dee Why in 1922, seemed to be a mix between P. laxa and another plant called P. levis. This might have been a hybrid plant.
This shrub likely grew in sandy soils near the coast or in heathlands. It also grew in dry sclerophyll eucalypt woodlands or forests on sandstone soils. It was found at low altitudes, from sea level up to 20 meters high. The areas where it grew usually received a good amount of rain each year, about 1200 to 1400 millimeters.
Why It Disappeared
Because it was only seen a few times before it vanished, we don't know much about how P. laxa flowered or produced fruit.
The Persoonia laxa is officially listed as extinct under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This means it is no longer found anywhere in the wild. We don't know the exact reasons why it disappeared. However, the areas where it once grew have become very developed with many buildings and roads. This change in its habitat is likely a big reason for its extinction.
