Petrophile pilostyla facts for kids

The Petrophile pilostyla is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Proteaceae family, which includes many unique Australian plants. This shrub is special because it is endemic to southwestern Western Australia, meaning it's only found there! It has needle-shaped leaves with sharp tips. Its flowers are cream-coloured or pale yellow, hairy, and grow in round bunches.

What it Looks Like

The Petrophile pilostyla is a shrub that usually grows to be about 0.4 to 1.7 meters tall. That's roughly the height of a small car! Its branches are smooth and have clear ridges.

Its leaves are shaped like needles. They can be straight, or sometimes they curve strongly or even look like an 'S'. These leaves are usually 40 to 110 millimeters long and 1 to 1.5 millimeters wide. Each leaf has a very sharp point at its end.

The flowers grow mostly at the tips of the branches. They form round heads, about 22 to 35 millimeters across. These flower heads are directly attached to the stem. At the base of each flower head, there are narrow, egg-shaped, smooth leaves called involucral bracts.

Each individual flower is about 9.5 to 17 millimeters long. They are either cream-coloured or a pale yellow and feel hairy. This plant usually blooms from July to early September. After the flowers, it produces a type of fruit called a nut. These nuts are joined together in a round head, which is about 10 to 20 millimeters wide.

How it Was Named

The Petrophile pilostyla was officially named in 2005. Two scientists, Barbara Lynette Rye and Michael Clyde Hislop, described it in a science journal called Nuytsia. They studied a plant sample found near Binnu in 2003.

The second part of its scientific name, pilostyla, tells us something about the plant. It means "having a hairy style". The style is a part of the flower's reproductive system.

In the same paper, Rye and Hislop also described three different types, or subspecies, of Petrophile pilostyla. These subspecies are:

• Petrophile pilostyla subsp. austrina
• Petrophile pilostyla subsp. pilostyla
• Petrophile pilostyla subsp. syntoma

Where it Lives

This petrophile plant grows on low hills. You can find it in sandy-gravelly soils that are often on top of limestone or laterite rock. It lives in an area between Tamala Station near Shark Bay and Watheroo National Park. This region is part of what's called the Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic region, which is a large area with similar plants and animals.

Conservation Status

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that the Petrophile pilostyla is "not threatened". This means there are enough of these plants, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.

However, one of its subspecies, Petrophile pilostyla subsp. syntoma, is classified differently. It's listed as "Priority Two". This means that this particular subspecies is not very well known. It has only been found in one or a few places, so scientists are keeping a close eye on it to make sure it stays safe.