Goodenia suffrutescens explained

Goodenia suffrutescens is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to inland areas of north-eastern Western Australia. It is an undershrub with low-lying branches, toothed, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and thyrses of blue flowers.

Description

Goodenia suffrutescens is a subshrub up to tall, with woody, low-lying branches and sticky foliage. The leaves are more or less clustered at the base of the plant and are lance-shaped to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide with toothed edges. The flowers are arranged in thyrses up to long on peduncles up to long with leaf-like bracts and egg-shaped bracteoles long. Each flower is on a pedicel up to long. The sepals are lance-shaped, about long, the petals blue, long. The lower lobes of the corolla are about long with wings about wide. Flowering occurs around August and the fruit is a cylindrical capsule about long.[1] [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Goodenia suffrutescens was first formally described in 1980 by Roger Charles Carolin in the journal Telopea from material he collected by on Billiluna Station in 1970.[3] The specific epithet (suffrutescens) refers to the sub-shrub form of the plant.

Distribution and habitat

This goodenia grows on laterite pavements on the north-western edge of the Tanami Desert in north-eastern Western Australia.

Conservation status

Goodenia suffrutescens is classified as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Carolin . Roger C. . Goodenia suffrutescens . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra . 5 May 2021.
  2. Carolin . Roger C . New species and new combinations in Goodeniaceae and Campanulaceae . Telopea . 1980 . 2 . 1 . 67 . 5 May 2021.
  3. Web site: Goodenia suffrutescens. APNI. 5 May 2021.
  4. Web site: Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna. Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. 5 May 2021.