Persoonia stricta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Persoonia stricta |
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Scientific classification | |
Genus: |
Persoonia
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Species: |
stricta
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Persoonia stricta is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the Proteaceae family. It is found only in the south-west of Western Australia. This plant is a tall, spreading bush with smooth bark. It has long, narrow leaves that can also be shaped like a spoon or an oval. Its bright yellow flowers grow in groups of four to twenty-five along a central stem called a rachis, which can be from 3 to 100 mm long. Each flower grows with a small leaf or scale at its base.
What it Looks Like
Persoonia stricta is a bush that grows upright and spreads out. It usually reaches a height of 1 to 5 meters. The plant has smooth bark, and its younger branches might be covered with soft, grey hairs.
Its leaves are long and thin, sometimes shaped like a spoon or an oval. They are about 60 to 150 mm long and 2.5 to 8 mm wide. The leaves can feel bumpy or scaly.
The bright yellow flowers grow in groups of 4 to 25. They are found along a main stem called a rachis, which can be from 3 to 100 mm long. Each flower sits on a small stalk, or pedicel, that is 4 to 10 mm long. At the bottom of each flower's stalk, there is a leaf or a small scale.
The flower parts, called tepals (which are like petals and sepals combined), are bright yellow. They are 11 to 16 mm long and mostly smooth on the outside. This plant flowers from August to December. After flowering, it produces a smooth fruit called a drupe, which is a fleshy fruit with a hard pit inside, like a peach or plum.
How it was Named
The plant Persoonia stricta was first officially described in 1994. This description was made by a botanist named Peter Weston. He used notes from an earlier, unpublished description by Charles Gardner. The first plant samples, known as "type specimens," were collected by Gardner near Manmanning in 1931.
Where it Grows
This type of geebung (a common name for Persoonia plants) grows in different natural areas. You can find it in heathlands (areas with low-growing shrubs), thickets (dense groups of bushes), or woodlands. It grows between Ajana and Manmanning in the south-west of Western Australia. These areas include the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Murchison, Swan Coastal Plain, and Yalgoo biogeographic regions.
Conservation Status
The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has classified Persoonia stricta as "not threatened." This means the plant is not currently at risk of disappearing.