Persoonia levis

Broad-leaved geebung
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Persoonia
Species:
P. levis
Binomial name
Persoonia levis
Range of P. levis in New South Wales and extending into eastern Victoria
Synonyms[2]

Persoonia salicina Pers.
Linkia levis Cav.
Linkia salicina (Pers.) Kuntze

Persoonia levis, commonly known as the broad-leaved geebung, is a shrub native to New South Wales and Victoria in eastern Australia. It reaches 5 m (16 ft) in height and has dark grey papery bark and bright green asymmetrical sickle-shaped leaves up to 14 cm (5.5 in) long and 8 cm (3.2 in) wide. The small yellow flowers appear in summer and autumn (December to April), followed by small green fleshy fruit, which are classified as drupes. Within the genus Persoonia, it is a member of the Lanceolata group of 58 closely related species. P. levis interbreeds with several other species where they grow together.

Found in dry sclerophyll forest on sandstone-based nutrient-deficient soils, P. levis is adapted to a fire-prone environment; the plants resprout epicormic buds from beneath their thick bark after bushfires, and can live for over 60 years. Regeneration also takes place after fire by a ground-stored seed bank. The longtongue bee Leioproctus carinatifrons is a pollinator of the flowers, and the fruit are consumed by vertebrates such as kangaroos, possums and currawongs. Despite its horticultural appeal, P. levis is rare in cultivation as it is very hard to propagate, either by seed or cuttings.

  1. ^ Weston, P.; Auld, T. (2020). "Persoonia levis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T118153811A122769236. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T118153811A122769236.en. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference APNI:Persoonia levis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).