Creeping geebung facts for kids

The creeping geebung (scientific name: Persoonia moscalii) is a special kind of shrub. It grows naturally only in southwestern Tasmania, an island in Australia. This plant is known for growing low to the ground.

What Does the Creeping Geebung Look Like?

The creeping geebung is a prostrate shrub. This means it grows flat along the ground. It can spread out about one meter wide. Its main branches grow sideways. Smaller branches then grow upwards, but only about 4 to 5 centimeters tall. The whole plant usually doesn't get taller than 10 centimeters (4 inches).

Leaves and Flowers

Its leaves are small, about 6 to 15 millimeters long and 2 to 4 millimeters wide. They have a unique shape, like a spoon or an egg. The top of the leaves can be flat or slightly curved inwards. Even leaves growing from the bottom of a branch will bend to point upwards.

You can see its yellow flowers in February and March. Later, it grows shiny, dark red-purple fruits. These fruits are oval-shaped, about 0.8 centimeters wide and 1 centimeter long.

How Was This Plant Named?

Scientists give every plant a special scientific name. This helps everyone around the world know exactly which plant they are talking about. The creeping geebung's scientific name is Persoonia moscalii.

Who Named It?

An Australian plant scientist named Tony Orchard officially described this plant in 1983. He named it after Tony Moscal. Tony Moscal was the person who first found and collected a sample of this plant on March 16, 1980. He also spent a lot of time mapping where it grows.

Plant Family

In 1995, another scientist named Peter Weston studied the Persoonia plant group. He placed the three types of Persoonia plants that only grow in Tasmania into a special group. These are P. muelleri, P. gunnii, and P. moscalii.

Where Does the Creeping Geebung Grow?

The creeping geebung is found only in a few specific places in southwestern Tasmania. These areas include the Melaleuca, Bathurst, and Frankland Ranges.

Its Home Environment

This shrub grows on slopes that face south. These slopes are open to the weather and are part of an alpine heathland. An alpine heathland is a type of open land found in mountains, often with small shrubs and tough plants. The plant prefers to grow in quartzite soils. Quartzite is a very hard rock. You can find it growing at heights between 640 and 760 meters above sea level.

Is This Plant in Danger?

The creeping geebung is considered a rare plant in Tasmania. This means there are not many of them left. The Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act of 1995 lists it as rare. However, it is not listed as endangered under Australia's main environmental law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

How Does it Help Nature?

Scientists believe that bees are the main animals that help the creeping geebung make seeds. Bees visit the yellow flowers to collect nectar and pollen, and in doing so, they help the plant reproduce.