Persoonia procumbens

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Persoonia procumbens
Persoonia procumbens foliage and flowers.jpg
Foliage and flowers
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Persoonia
Species:
P. procumbens
Binomial name
Persoonia procumbens

Persoonia procumbens is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to part of the New England Tableland. It is a prostrate shrub with rather fleshy, relatively large leaves and small groups of cylindrical yellow flowers. It is similar to P. daphnoides but has darker hairs on the young branches and smaller, less hairy flowers.

Contents

P. procumbens in Cathedral Rock National Park Persoonia procumbens habit.jpg
P. procumbens in Cathedral Rock National Park

Description

Persoonia procumbens is a prostrate shrub which grows to a height of 10 cm (4 in) and has its young branches covered with rust-coloured hairs which are more or less pressed against the stem. The leaves are flat, spoon-shaped, wedge-shaped or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base. They are 15–36 mm (0.6–1 in) long, 4–17 mm (0.2–0.7 in) wide, have a few hairs when young but are glabrous when mature. The flowers are yellow and arranged singly or in groups of up to six on a rachis up to 10 mm (0.4 in) long. Each flower has an erect pedicel 1.5–3 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long which is covered with rust-coloured hairs. The flower is composed of four tepals 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, which are fused at the base but with the tips rolled back. The central style is surrounded by four yellow anthers which are also joined at the base with the tips rolled back, so that it resembles a cross when viewed end-on. Flowering occurs from December to January and is followed by fruit which are green drupes. [1] [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Persoonia procumbens was first formally described in 1991 by Peter Weston and Lawrie Johnson from a specimen collected near the turnoff from the Waterfall Way to the New England National Park. The description was published in the journal Telopea . [3] The specific epithet (procumbens) is a Latin word meaning "prostrate" or "face downward", [4] referring to the habit of this species. The species was formerly described as Persoonia prostrata subsp. C. [1]

Distribution and habitat

This persoonia grows in woodland and forest near granite between Ebor and Backwater on the New England Tableland. [5] The species has a ROTAP listing as "2RC-", [5] meaning that it is rare but protected in a conservation reserve. [6]

Within Warra National Park it is found in two woodland plant communities, both on damp sand and sandy loam. [7]

Cultivation

Persoonia procumbens has been grown readily in temperate climates. It prefers a well-drained soil in the garden, responds well to pruning and has horticultural potential as a rockery plant. [8]

Related Research Articles

Persoonia micranthera, commonly known as the small-flowered snottygobble, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low-lying to prostrate shrub with branchlets that are hairy when young, spatula-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, hairy yellow flowers borne in groups of four to fifteen, and smooth, oval fruit.

Persoonia katerae is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a small area on the coast of New South Wales. It is an erect shrub to small tree with smooth bark on the branches, narrow elliptic to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and yellow flowers in groups of six to twenty-two on a rachis 30–160 mm (1.2–6.3 in) long.

<i>Persoonia mollis</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia mollis, commonly known as soft geebung, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with linear to oblong or spatula-shaped leaves, yellow flowers in groups of up to thirty on a rachis up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long and relatively small fruit.

Persoonia prostrata is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the northern tip of Fraser Island in Queensland, but is presumed to be extinct. It is similar to Persoonia stradbrokensis but is a prostrate shrub with smaller leaves and flowers.

<i>Persoonia bargoensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia bargoensis, commonly known as the Bargo geebung, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves, yellow, tube-shaped flowers and green, pear-shaped fruit.

Persoonia rufiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, sometimes spreading shrub with hairy young branchlets, lance-shaped to linear leaves, and hairy, greenish yellow flowers arranged singly or in pairs.

<i>Persoonia media</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia media is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect to spreading shrub or tree with branchlets and leaves that are glabrous or only sparsely hairy, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves and up to sixteen yellow flowers on a rachis up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long.

<i>Persoonia asperula</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia asperula, commonly known as mountain geebung, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or prostrate shrub with smooth bark, mostly elliptic to oblong leaves and yellow flowers borne singly or in groups of up to nine. It mostly occurs in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. A small population in Victoria may be a different species.

<i>Persoonia oleoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia oleoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north-eastern New South Wales. It is an erect to low-lying shrub with oblong to egg-shaped leaves and yellow flowers in groups of up to twenty-five on a rachis up to 130 mm (5.1 in) long.

<i>Persoonia daphnoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia daphnoides is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area near the border of eastern New South Wales and Queensland. It is a prostrate shrub with spatula-shaped to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and yellow flowers in groups of up to eight on a rachis up to 35 mm (1.4 in) long.

<i>Persoonia graminea</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia graminea is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect to weak, low-lying shrub with long, linear leaves and flowers in groups of ten to twenty-five on a rachis up to 220 mm (8.7 in) long.

<i>Persoonia acuminata</i> Species of shrub

Persoonia acuminata is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a spreading or prostrate shrub with relatively small leaves and cylindrical yellow flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to sixteen in leaf axils or on the ends of the branches. It grows in moist forest on the higher parts of the tablelands.

<i>Persoonia microphylla</i> Species of shrub

Persoonia microphylla is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves and yellow flowers in groups of up to fourteen on a rachis up to 30 mm (1.2 in) long.

<i>Persoonia rufa</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia rufa is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the a restricted area of New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading shrub with hairy young branchlets, elliptic leaves, and yellow flowers borne in groups of up to twelve on a rachis up to 110 mm (4.3 in), each flower with a leaf at its base.

Persoonia tropica is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north Queensland. It is an erect shrub to small tree shrub with branchlets that are hairy when young, narrow elliptic to lance-shaped leaves and yellow flowers in groups of three to ten on a rachis 3–10 mm (0.12–0.39 in) long that continues to grow after flowering.

Persoonia volcanica is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy young branchlets, egg-shaped to oblong leaves, and yellow flowers borne in groups of up to twenty on a rachis up to 180 mm (7.1 in) that usually continues to grow after flowering, each flower with a leaf at its base.

Persoonia subtilis is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to south-east Queensland. It is a spreading to low-lying shrub with many stems, branchlets that are hairy when young, linear leaves and yellow flowers in groups of up to eighteen on a rachis up to 50 mm (2.0 in) long.

Persoonia leucopogon is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect to low-lying shrub with branchlets that are densely hairy when young, narrow oblong to narrow elliptic leaves and yellow or greenish yellow flowers borne singly or in groups of up to four on a rachis up to 2 mm (0.079 in) long.

<i>Persoonia trinervis</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia trinervis is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, sometimes spreading shrub with densely hairy young branchlets, spatula-shaped or lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and densely hairy yellow flowers.

<i>Persoonia stricta</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia stricta is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with smooth bark, linear to spatula-shaped or oblong leaves, and bright yellow flowers borne in groups of four to twenty-five on a rachis 3–100 mm (0.12–3.94 in) long, each flower with a leaf or scale leaf at its base.

References

  1. 1 2 Weston, Peter H.; Johnson, Lawrence A.S. (1991). "Taxonomic changes in Persoonia (Proteaceae) in New South Wales". Telopea. 4 (2): 298–299. doi: 10.7751/telopea19914929 .
  2. "Persoonia procumbens". APNI. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  3. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 632.
  4. 1 2 Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia procumbens". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  5. "Threatened Flora Lists". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). February 2010.
  6. Hunter, John (2005). "Vegetation and floristics of Warra National Park and Wattleridge, Northern Tablelands, NSW". Cunninghamia. 9 (2): 255–274.
  7. Elliot, Rodger W.; Jones, David L.; Blake, Trevor (1997). Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation: Volume 7 – N-Po. Port Melbourne: Lothian Press. ISBN   0-85091-634-8.