Persoonia mollis
Persoonia mollis, commonly known as soft geebung,[2] 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.
Soft geebung | |
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Persoonia mollis subsp. livens Penrose National Park | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Proteales |
Family: | Proteaceae |
Genus: | Persoonia |
Species: | P. mollis |
Binomial name | |
Persoonia mollis | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Description
Persoonia mollis is an erect to prostrate shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.2–5 m (7.9 in–16 ft 4.9 in) and has smooth bark and young branchlets that are covered with greyish to rust-coloured hairs. The leaves are linerar, oblong to lance-shaped or spatula-shaped, 15–120 mm (0.59–4.72 in) long, 0.8–17 mm (0.031–0.669 in) wide and much paler on the lower surface. The flowers are arranged in groups of up to thrity along a rachis up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long that grows into a leafy shoot after flowering, each flower on a pedicel about 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long, usually with a leaf at the base. The tepals are yellow, 8–11.5 mm (0.31–0.45 in) long and hairy on the outside. Flowering mostly occurs from late December to May and the fruit is a green drupe about 8 mm (0.31 in) long and 7 mm (0.28 in) wide.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy
Persoonia mollis was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.[6][7]
In 1991, Siegfried Krauss and Lawrie Johnson described nine subspecies of P. mollis in the journal Telopea, and the named are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:
- Persoonia mollis subsp. budawangensis S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[8] is an erect shrub, 1.2–4 m (3 ft 11 in–13 ft 1 in) tall with small, oblong leaves mostly 15–60 mm (0.59–2.36 in) long and 0.8–6 mm (0.031–0.236 in) wide and is endemic to the Budawang Range;[4]
- Persoonia mollis subsp. caleyi (R.Br.) S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[9] is an erect shrub, 1.2–4 m (3 ft 11 in–13 ft 1 in) tall with small, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves 30–60 mm (1.2–2.4 in) long and less than 6 mm (0.24 in) wide;[4]
- Persoonia mollis subsp. ledifolia (A.Cunn. ex Meisn.) S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[10] is an erect shrub, 1.2–4 m (3 ft 11 in–13 ft 1 in) tall with small, oblong leaves mostly 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long and 0.8–6 mm (0.031–0.236 in) wide and is found between Fitzroy Falls and Kangaroo Valley;[4]
- Persoonia mollis subsp. leptophylla S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[11] is a dense, compact shrub 0.8–1.5 m (2 ft 7 in–4 ft 11 in) high with bright green, linear to thread-like leaves 0.8–1.5 mm (0.031–0.059 in) wide that are sparsely hairy on the lower surface;[4]
- Persoonia mollis subsp. livens S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[12] is a dense, compact shrub 0.8–1.5 m (2 ft 7 in–4 ft 11 in) high with green to greyish, linear to thread-like leaves 0.8–1.5 mm (0.031–0.059 in) wide that are densely hairy on the lower surface;[4]
- Persoonia mollis subsp. maxima S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[13] has large, soft, lance-shaped leaves 40–80 mm (1.6–3.1 in) long and 6–17 mm (0.24–0.67 in) wide, the flower buds covered with copper-coloured hairs about 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long;[4]
- Persoonia mollis R.Br. subsp. mollis[14] has large, soft, lance-shaped leaves 40–80 mm (1.6–3.1 in) long and 6–17 mm (0.24–0.67 in) wide, the flower buds densely covered with whitish hairs about 1 mm (0.039 in) long;[4]
- Persoonia mollis subsp. nectens S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[15] has large, pliable but not soft, lance-shaped leaves 40–80 mm (1.6–3.1 in) long and 6–17 mm (0.24–0.67 in) wide, and flower buds sparsely covered with whitish hairs about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long;[4]
- Persoonia mollis subsp. revoluta S.Krauss & L.A.S.Johnson[16] is a prostrate, spreading shrub, 0.1–0.5 m (3.9 in–1 ft 7.7 in) tall and up to 4 m (13 ft) wide, with oblong to egg-shaped leaves 30–60 mm (1.2–2.4 in) long and more than 6 mm (0.24 in) wide.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Soft geebung grows from heath to forest, usually on sandstone, from the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury River south to the Clyde River.
- Subspecies budawangensis grows from woodland to forest and is endemic to the Budawang Range;[17]
- Subspecies caleyi grows in forest between Jervis Bay and Durras Lake on the South Coast;[18]
- Subspecies ledifolia occurs between Kangaloon, the Shoalhaven River, Jamberoo amd Wingello where it grows from heath to forest on Hawkesbury Sandstone;[19]
- Subspecies leptophylla is found between the Shoalhaven River, Budawang Range, Nerriga and Nowra and on the Beecroft Peninsula where it grows in heath and forest on Nowra and Conjola sandstones;[20]
- Subspecies livens is found between Penrose, Goulburn and Braidwood, growing in woodland on metasedimentary rock and conglomerate;[21]
- Subspecies maxima grows in forest on Hawkesbury sandstone in the Cowan-Hornsby area;[22]
- Subspecies mollis is found in forest on sandstone in the Blue Mountains;[23]
- Subspecies nectens occurs between Oakdale, Hill Top and the Illawarra Escarpment where it grows in forest;[24]
- Subspecies revoluta grows in forest on Hawkesbury sandstone between Nattai Gorge, Bullio, Berrima and Canyonleigh.[25]
References
- "Persoonia mollis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Krauss, Siegfried L.; Johnson, Lawrence A.S. (1 March 1991). "A revision of the complex species Persoonia mollis (Proteaceae)". Telopea. 4 (2): 185–189. doi:10.7751/telopea19914926.
- P.H. Weston. "New South Wales Flora Online: Persoonia mollis". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
- "Persoonia mollis". APNI. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Brown, Robert (1810). "On the Proteaceae of Jussieu". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 10 (1): 161. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. budawangensis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. caleyi". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. ledifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. leptophylla". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. livens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. maxima". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. mollis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. nectens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Persoonia mollis subsp. revoluta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. budawangensis". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. caleyi". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. ledifolia". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. leptophylla". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. livens". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. maxima". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. mollis". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. nectens". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- Weston, Peter H. "Persoonia mollis subsp. revoluta". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 October 2020.