Persoonia longifolia
| Upright Snottygobble | |
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| Flaky bark of Persoonia longifolia, Wellington Forest, Western Australia | |
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| Species: | P. longifolia
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| Binomial name | |
| Persoonia longifolia | |
The Upright Snottygobble (Persoonia longifolia), also known as the Long-leaf Persoonia or just Snottygobble, is a species of tall shrub or small tree in the plant genus Persoonia, reaching 1 to 5 metres (3-17 ft) in height. It is found in the Jarrah forests of southwest Western Australia. This species is characterised by its long narrow dark green leaves, dark yellow to orange flowers and distinctive dark flaky red bark.
Description
This erect shrub or tree reaches about 5 metres (17 feet) high, usually with few branches. Its dark green leaves are narrow and slightly elliptical, and can grow up to 220 millimetres in length. The distinctive bark is dark red to bronze colour with many papery layers which flake easily.
Snottygobbles flower over the summer months, with dark yellow to orange flowers that occur in short sprays. The individual flowers are 12 to 14mm in length with orange to brown hairs. The flowers split into four narrow segments which curl back to reveal the stamen. The fruit are green initially, but change to a yellow-green colour a few days after falling.
Distribution
It is found in the southwest of Western Australia from Albany to the southeastern edges of Perth. It occurs in the Jarrah, Karri, Marri and Tingle forest.
Ecology
Snottygobble is pollinated by native bees. it is also visited by the Western Brown Butterfly (Heteronympha merope duboulayi).
Taxonomy
It was first collected by Robert Brown around 1801. The species name is Latin for "long leaf".
References
- Discovering The Hills Forest. Part of an Environmental Education Program on the Western Australian Jarrah Forest for Year 6 and 7 students. Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). p 44.
- Wheeler, Judy (2003). Common Trees of the South-West Forests. Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). ISBN 0-7309-6961-4.
- Powell, Robert (1990). Leaf and Branch: Trees and Tall Shrubs of Perth. Perth, Western Australia: Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). ISBN 0-7309-3916-2.
External links
- "Persoonia longifolia". Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
- "Persoonia longifolia". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.