Goodenia watsonii explained

Goodenia watsonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a perennial herb with egg-shaped to elliptic leaves mostly at the base of the plant, and thyrses of white, cream-coloured or bluish flowers.

Description

Goodenia watsonii is perennial herb that typically grows to a height of with a thick stem. It has egg-shaped to elliptic leaves long, wide at the base of the plant and sometimes with toothed edges. The flowers are arranged in thyrses up to long on a peduncle up to long, each flower on a pedicel long with linear bracts up to long and shorter bracteoles. The sepals are narrow egg-shaped, long, the corolla white, cream-coloured or bluish, long. The corolla lobes are long with wings about wide. Flowering occurs from October to February and the fruit is a more or less spherical capsule in diameter.[1]

Taxonomy and naming

Goodenia watsonii was first formally described in 1893 by Ferdinand von Mueller and Ralph Tate in Botanisches Centralblatt from material collected by Richard Helms "at Gnarlbine" during the Elder Exploring Expedition.[2] [3] The specific epithet (watsonii) honours "Professor Watson, of the Adelaide University.

In 1990, Roger Charles Carolin described two subspecies in the journal Telopea and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:[4]

Distribution and habitat

This goodenia grows in heath in the south-west of Western Australia. Subspecies glandulosa is restricteed to areas between Lake Grace and Hyden.

Conservation status

Both subspecies of G. watsonii are classed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Carolin . Roger C. . Goodenia watsonii . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra . 27 May 2021.
  2. Web site: Goodenia watsonii. APNI. 27 May 2021.
  3. von Mueller . Ferdinand . Definitions of new plants, collected by the Elder Exploring Expedition . Botanisches Centralblatt . 1893 . 53 . 268 . 27 May 2021.
  4. Carolin . Roger C. . Nomenclatural notes and new taxa in the genus Goodenia (Goodeniaceae) . Telopea . 1990 . 3 . 4 . 518–519 . 10.7751/telopea19904905 . 27 May 2021. free .
  5. Web site: Goodenia watsonii subsp. glandulosa. Australian Plant Census. 27 May 2021.
  6. Web site: Carolin . Roger C. . Goodenia watsonii subsp. glandulosa . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra . 27 May 2021.
  7. Web site: Goodenia watsonii subsp. watsonii. Australian Plant Census. 27 May 2021.
  8. Web site: Carolin . Roger C. . Goodenia watsonii subsp. watsonii . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra . 27 May 2021.