Persoonia media facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Persoonia media |
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| At Dangar Falls | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Persoonia
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| Species: |
media
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| Synonyms | |
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Linkia media (R.Br.) Kuntze |
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The Persoonia media is a special kind of flowering plant that belongs to the Proteaceae family. It only grows naturally in eastern Australia, which means it is endemic to that area. This plant can be a straight-up shrub or a spreading tree. Its branches and leaves are mostly smooth, or have only a few hairs. The leaves are shaped like an oval or an egg. This plant can have up to sixteen yellow flowers growing along a stem called a rachis, which can be up to 150 mm long.
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What Does Persoonia media Look Like?
Persoonia media is a shrub or tree that can look quite different depending on where it grows. It can be as short as 0.3 meters (about a foot) or as tall as 25 meters (about 82 feet)!
How Does Its Size Change?
If these plants grow in dry places, especially south of the Macleay River, they are usually short and have many stems. This is because they can regrow from a special underground part called a lignotuber after things like fires. But if they grow in wetter areas, they tend to be taller and have just one main stem. Their leaves might also be narrower.
What About Its Bark and Leaves?
The bark of the Persoonia media is smooth, but it has tiny cracks at the bottom of its trunk. The small branches, leaves, and flowers are usually smooth or have only a few light brown or rust-colored hairs. The leaves are shaped like an oval or an egg. They can be 30 to 140 mm long and 4 to 35 mm wide. Their edges are often curled under.
When Does It Flower?
The yellow flowers grow either by themselves or in groups of up to sixteen flowers. They are found along a stem called a rachis, which can be up to 150 mm long. Each flower sits on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is 3 to 10 mm long. The flower parts, called tepals, are yellow and 10 to 14 mm long. You can usually see these plants flowering from December to April.
Where Does Persoonia media Grow?
This type of geebung (another name for Persoonia plants) is found in a few specific places in eastern Australia.
Specific Locations
You can find it on the Lamington and Springbrook Plateaus in south-eastern Queensland. It also grows further south through the Nightcap National Park, near the upper Manning River, in the eastern part of the New England Tableland, and as far south as Barrington Tops.
What Kind of Environment Does It Like?
Persoonia media prefers to grow in forests, including rainforests. It likes soils that come from igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Life Cycle of Persoonia media
Scientists have studied how Persoonia media survives and grows, especially after events like bushfires.
How Does It Survive Fire?
Researchers from the University of New England discovered that Persoonia media plants are usually killed by fire. However, they can grow back from seeds that survived the fire.
How Long Does It Live?
After a fire, it takes about 5 to 6 years for a new plant to grow from a seed and become mature enough to produce its own seeds. However, these plants generally do not live very long. Most Persoonia media plants live for twenty years or less.
