Petrophile juncifolia facts for kids

Petrophile juncifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southwestern Western Australia. It is a small, domed shrub with needle-shaped leaves, and heads of yellow to cream-coloured flowers.

Description

Petrophile juncifolia is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.2–0.8 m (7.9 in – 2 ft 7.5 in). The leaves are needle-shaped but not sharply pointed, 150–300 mm (5.9–11.8 in) long, 1–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) wide and sometimes curved. The flowers are yellow to cream-coloured, hairy, 15–22 mm (0.59–0.87 in) long and arranged in heads. Flowering occurs from October to November and the fruit is a nut, fused with others in a head 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) long.

Taxonomy

Petrophile juncifolia was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony. The specific epithet (juncifolia) means "rush-leaved".

Distribution and habitat

This petrophile mostly grows in winter-wet places between Perth and Waroona in the Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions in the southwest of Western Australia.

Conservation status

Petrophile juncifolia is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.