Persoonia terminalis

Persoonia terminalis
P. t. terminalis at the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Persoonia
Species:
P. terminalis
Binomial name
Persoonia terminalis
L.A.S.Johnson & P.H.Weston
Subspecies
  • P. t. subsp. recurva
  • P. t. subsp. terminalis
Synonyms[1]

Persoonia nutans subsp. D P.H.Weston

Persoonia terminalis, also known as the Torrington geebung, is a shrub belonging to the family Proteaceae, and native to northern New South Wales and southern Queensland in eastern Australia.[2] Reported as a subspecies of Persoonia nutans in 1981, it was described as a species by Lawrie Johnson and his colleague Peter Weston in 1991.

Two subspecies‍—‌P. t. terminalis and P. t. recurva‍—‌are recognised; both are found on well-drained acidic soils in sclerophyll forests, and P. t. terminalis is also found on granite outcrops. Although similar in appearance, they differ in leaf length and curvature. Both have a restricted range, with P. t. terminalis found in an area of under 100 square kilometres (39 square miles; 25,000 acres).

P. terminalis grows to 1.5 metres (5 feet), with an upright or spreading habit, and narrow short leaves up to 1 centimetre (0.4 inches) in length. The yellow flowers mainly appear in December and January (Australia's temperate zone summer),[3] and are followed by purple-striped green drupes (stone fruit). The fruit of persoonias are edible, and dispersed by wild vertebrates.

  1. ^ Weston, P.H. (2002). Harding, G.J. (ed.). Flora of New South Wales. Vol. 2. UNSW Press. ISBN 978-0-86840-609-1. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jstor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference temperate zone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).