Taxandria angustifolia facts for kids

Taxandria angustifolia is a special kind of tree or large shrub that grows in Western Australia. You can find it along the southern coast. This plant used to be called Agonis angustifolia. But now, scientists have moved it to a new group of plants called Taxandria.

About Taxandria Angustifolia

What It Looks Like

This plant usually grows straight up and can be quite bushy. It typically reaches about 3 meters (10 feet) tall. When it blooms in June and July, it produces pretty white flowers.

The leaves of Taxandria angustifolia are unique. They are usually between 10 and 23 millimeters (about 0.4 to 0.9 inches) long. They are shaped in a special way: they curve inwards on the top (like a spoon) and outwards on the bottom. The small leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud, called sepals, are usually smooth or have only a few hairs.

Where It Grows

Taxandria angustifolia likes wet places. You can often find it in swamps or along the edges of creeks. It doesn't grow everywhere, though. It's only found in a small area of the Great Southern region in Western Australia. This area is mostly around the city of Albany. It stretches from West Cape Howe to Cheyne Beach. The plant prefers to grow in sandy or loamy soils, often near large granite rocks.

Its History

A botanist named Johannes Conrad Schauer first officially described this plant in 1844. He included it in a book called Plantae Preissianae by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann. Later, in 2007, two scientists named Wheeler and Marchant studied the plant again. They decided it was different enough to be placed in a brand new group, or genus, called Taxandria. That's why its name changed to T. angustifolia.