Persoonia levis
Encyclopedia
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, followed by small green fleshy fruit known as drupe
s. 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 kangaroo
s, possum
s and currawong
s. Despite its horticultural appeal, P. levis is rare in cultivation
as it is very hard to propagate
, either by seed or cuttings.
in the vicinity of Port Jackson
(Sydney) in April 1797, Persoonia levis was described and given the name Linkia levis by Antonio José Cavanilles
in 1798, before being placed in the genus Persoonia
by Karel Domin
in 1921. The genus names Linkia and Persoonia had been coined in 1798, but the latter was officially conserved. The species name
is the Latin
adjective , meaning "smooth", and refers to the hairless foliage. Christiaan Hendrik Persoon coined the name Persoonia salicina for it in his 1805 work Synopsis Plantarum, and queried whether Cavanilles' Linkia levis was in fact P. lanceolata
. Robert Brown
used Persoon's name in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen
, and echoed Persoon's thoughts on Cavanilles' original name and specimen. In the 1995 Flora of Australia
revision of the genus, Peter Weston reviewed the mounted material of Linkia levis, and found that Cavanilles had mounted material from both P. levis and P. lanceolata. He set one specimen of the three, which was clearly P. levis, as the lectotype
, which aligned the material with the description
. Common names include broad-leaved geebung, willow geebung and smooth geebung. The term geebung is derived from the Dharug language word geebung.
Like most other members of the genus, Persoonia levis has seven chromosome
s that are large compared to those of other Proteaceae. In 1870, George Bentham
published the first infrageneric arrangement of Persoonia in Volume 5 of his landmark Flora Australiensis
. He divided the genus into three sections, placing P. levis (which he called P. salicina) in P. sect. Amblyanthera. The 1995 Flora of Australia revision of the genus saw it classified in the Lanceolata group, a group of 58 closely related species with similar flowers but very different foliage. These species will often interbreed with each other where two members of the group occur, and hybrids with P. acerosa
, P. lanceolata, P. linearis
, P. mollis
subsp. ledifolia, P. myrtilloides
subsp. myrtilloides (in the Upper Blue Mountains, these plants resemble P. lanceolata), P. oxycoccoides
, and P. stradbrokensis
have been recorded. Robert Brown initially described the hybrid with P. linearis as a species "Persoonia lucida", which is now known as Persoonia × lucida, and has been recorded from the southeast forests of the New South Wales south coast.
is dark grey on the surface, while deeper layers are reddish in colour. Within the bark are epicormic buds
, which sprout new growth after bushfire. The new growth is smooth to slightly hairy. The large green leaves measure 6 to 14 cm (2.2–5.5 in) in length, and 1.3 to 8 cm (0.5–3.2 in) in width, and are oblong or sickle-shaped (falcate). The asymmetrical shape helps distinguish the species from P. lanceolata. The bright green foliage, particularly of new growth, stands out against the more subdued tones of the surrounding vegetation and the stems, which are reddish in colour. The yellow flowers appear in summer and autumn (December to April), and peak over December to February. They are arranged on short axillary raceme
s along the branchlets. Each individual flower consists of a cylindrical perianth
, consisting of tepal
s fused for most of their length, within which are both male and female parts. The central style is surrounded by the anther, which splits into four segments; these curl back and resemble a cross when viewed from above. They provide a landing area for insects attending to the stigma
, which is located at the tip of the style. The smooth fleshy fruit, known as a drupe
, is green and more or less round, measuring 1 cm (0.4 in) by 0.8 cm (0.3 in) in diameter. It contains two seeds, and has a spike at the end. The drupe is juicy but stringy when unripe, and the seeds and skin are inedible.
catchment on the New South Wales mid north coast to the Cann River
in far eastern Victoria
. It is found in dry sclerophyll forest on sandstone
-based nutrient-deficient soils, from sea level to an altitude of 1000 m (3500 ft). There it grows in sunny or lightly shaded areas in open woodland, associated with such trees as Eucalyptus piperita
, E. sieberi
, E. sclerophylla
, E. radiata
, E. smithii
, Angophora costata
and Corymbia gummifera
, and shrubs such as Conospermum longifolium
, Grevillea buxifolia
, G. phylicoides
, Hakea laevipes
, Symphionema montanum
and Telopea speciosissima
, as well as Persoonia hirsuta
and P. mollis. Coastal forms are smaller with broader leaves than inland forms. The annual rainfall of the area it occurs in the Sydney Basin
is 900 –. It is considered adequately protected in the Sydney region, and is found in Georges River
, Cattai
, Wollemi
, Bouddi
, Brisbane Water
, Marramarra
, Ku-ring-gai Chase
, Garigal
, Lane Cove
, Sydney Harbour
, Botany Bay
and Budderoo National Park
s.
habitat in which it grows. Its thick papery bark shields the underlying epicormic buds
from the flames. Plants also regenerate by seedlings that arise from a seedbank in the soil after fire, although they may take up to 12 months to germinate. One study of sclerophyll
forest unburnt for thirty years showed P. levis had declined over time. P. levis plants can live for over 60 years, and their leaves have a lifespan of up to 6 years.
Vesicles indicating a mycorrhiza
l association have been found on the roots of Persoonia levis, the Proteaceae not previously noted for forming mycorrhizal associations. Infection by the fungal species Anthracostroma persooniae results in leaf spot disease. P. levis is the food plant of the larvae of the weevil
species Eurhynchus laevior.
Colletid
bees of the genus Leioproctus
subgenus Cladocerapis exclusively forage on and pollinate flowers of many species of Persoonia. Bees of subgenus Filiglossa in the same genus that also specialise in feeding on Persoonia flowers do not appear to be effective pollinators. Particular species recorded on P. levis include the longtongue bee Leioproctus carinatifrons
. Weighing 1700 mg (0.60 oz), the fruit are adapted to be eaten by vertebrates, such as kangaroo
s and possum
s, as well as currawong
s and other large birds. The flowers of P. levis are self-incompatible
—that is, they are unable to fertilise themselves and require outcrossing
to another plant.
, mainly due to difficulties in propagation
; seed germination
is unpredictable, and cuttings have been nearly impossible to strike. Nevertheless, its colourful bark and leaves are attractive horticultural features. Well-drained sandy soils in sun or part shade are needed for the plant in a garden situation. Once established, it tolerates moderate frosts and dry spells and grows fairly readily, albeit slowly, in suitable conditions. Plantsmen
germinated seed in England as early as 1795.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
native to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
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, followed by small green fleshy fruit known as drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
s. Within the genus Persoonia
Persoonia
Persoonia is a genus of 98 species of shrubs and small trees in the tribe Persoonioideae in the large and diverse plant family Proteaceae. In the eastern states of Australia, they are commonly known as Geebungs, while in Western Australia and South Australia they go by the common name Snottygobbles...
, 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
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest on sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
-based nutrient-deficient soils, P. levis is adapted to a fire-prone environment; the plants resprout epicormic buds
Epicormic shoot
An epicormic shoot is a shoot growing from an epicormic bud which lies underneath the bark of a trunk, stem, or branch of a plant.-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
Seed bank
Seed bank may refer to:*Seedbank, a repository of preserved seeds*The store of viable plant seed in an ecosystem; for example:** Soil seed bank, the viable seed present in the soil;...
. The longtongue bee Leioproctus carinatifrons
Leioproctus carinatifrons
Leioproctus carinatifrons is a species of Australian bee. It is found in coastal regions of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and feeds on the nectar of various species of Persoonia. It was first described in 1929 by T. D. A. Cockerell as Paracolletes carinatifrons. Males are around ...
is a pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
of the flowers, and the fruit are consumed by vertebrates such as kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s, possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
s and currawong
Currawong
Currawongs are three species of medium-sized passerine birds belonging to the genus Strepera in the family Artamidae native to Australasia. These are the Grey Currawong , Pied Currawong , and Black Currawong . The common name comes from the call of the familiar Pied Currawong of eastern Australia...
s. Despite its horticultural appeal, P. levis is rare in cultivation
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
as it is very hard to propagate
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
, either by seed or cuttings.
Taxonomy and classification
First collected by Luis NéeLuis Née
Luis Née was a Franco-Spanish botanist, who accompanied the Malaspina expedition to the Pacific Ocean coasts of North America and Australia.He described many new plants, including the Coast Live Oak, which he discovered in California....
in the vicinity of Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
(Sydney) in April 1797, Persoonia levis was described and given the name Linkia levis by Antonio José Cavanilles
Antonio José Cavanilles
Antonio José Cavanilles was a leading Spanish taxonomic botanist of the 18th century. He named many plants, particularly from Oceania, his name is abbreviated as Cav...
in 1798, before being placed in the genus Persoonia
Persoonia
Persoonia is a genus of 98 species of shrubs and small trees in the tribe Persoonioideae in the large and diverse plant family Proteaceae. In the eastern states of Australia, they are commonly known as Geebungs, while in Western Australia and South Australia they go by the common name Snottygobbles...
by Karel Domin
Karel Domin
Karel Domin was a Czech botanist and politician.After gymnasium school studies in Příbram, he studied botany at the Charles University in Prague, and graduated in 1906. In 1916 he was named as professor of botany. Domin specialised in phytogeography, geobotany and plant taxonomy...
in 1921. The genus names Linkia and Persoonia had been coined in 1798, but the latter was officially conserved. The species name
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
is the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
adjective , meaning "smooth", and refers to the hairless foliage. Christiaan Hendrik Persoon coined the name Persoonia salicina for it in his 1805 work Synopsis Plantarum, and queried whether Cavanilles' Linkia levis was in fact P. lanceolata
Persoonia lanceolata
Persoonia lanceolata, commonly known as lance-leaf geebung, is a shrub native to New South Wales in eastern Australia. It reaches in height and has smooth grey bark and bright green foliage...
. Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
used Persoon's name in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen
Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen
Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen is an 1810 flora of Australia by botanist Robert Brown. Often referred to as Prodromus Flora Novae Hollandiae, or by its standard botanical abbreviation Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland., it was the first attempt at a survey of the Australian flora...
, and echoed Persoon's thoughts on Cavanilles' original name and specimen. In the 1995 Flora of Australia
Flora of Australia (series)
The Flora of Australia is a 59 volume series describing the vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens present in Australia and its external territories...
revision of the genus, Peter Weston reviewed the mounted material of Linkia levis, and found that Cavanilles had mounted material from both P. levis and P. lanceolata. He set one specimen of the three, which was clearly P. levis, as the lectotype
Lectotype
In botanical nomenclature and zoological nomenclature, a lectotype is a kind of name-bearing type. When a species was originally described on the basis of a name-bearing type consisting of multiple specimens, one of those may be designated as the lectotype...
, which aligned the material with the description
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
. Common names include broad-leaved geebung, willow geebung and smooth geebung. The term geebung is derived from the Dharug language word geebung.
Like most other members of the genus, Persoonia levis has seven chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s that are large compared to those of other Proteaceae. In 1870, George Bentham
George Bentham
George Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
published the first infrageneric arrangement of Persoonia in Volume 5 of his landmark Flora Australiensis
Flora Australiensis
Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory, more commonly referred to as Flora Australiensis, and also known by its standard abbreviation Fl. Austral., is a seven-volume flora of Australia published between 1863 and 1878 by George Bentham, with the assistance of...
. He divided the genus into three sections, placing P. levis (which he called P. salicina) in P. sect. Amblyanthera. The 1995 Flora of Australia revision of the genus saw it classified in the Lanceolata group, a group of 58 closely related species with similar flowers but very different foliage. These species will often interbreed with each other where two members of the group occur, and hybrids with P. acerosa
Persoonia acerosa
Persoonia acerosa is a shrub native to New South Wales in eastern Australia....
, P. lanceolata, P. linearis
Persoonia linearis
Persoonia linearis, commonly known as the narrow-leaved geebung, is a shrub native to New South Wales in eastern Australia.-Taxonomy:...
, P. mollis
Persoonia mollis
Persoonia mollis is a shrub endemic to New South Wales in eastern Australia. It is one of the many species authored by Robert Brown....
subsp. ledifolia, P. myrtilloides
Persoonia myrtilloides
Persoonia myrtilloides, commonly known as myrtle geebung, is a shrub species that is endemic to New South Wales in Australia. It grows to between in height and has leaves that are between long and wide. Yellow flowers appear between December and April in the species native range.Persoonia...
subsp. myrtilloides (in the Upper Blue Mountains, these plants resemble P. lanceolata), P. oxycoccoides
Persoonia oxycoccoides
Persoonia oxycoccoides is a plant of the genus Persoonia that grows in heath and dry eucalypt forest in sandy acidic soils in New South Wales, Australia. It lives in hardiness zones nine and ten, meaning it grows best in areas where the lowest temperatures are between -7°C and 10°C....
, and P. stradbrokensis
Persoonia stradbrokensis
Persoonia stradbrokensis is a shrub native to New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia....
have been recorded. Robert Brown initially described the hybrid with P. linearis as a species "Persoonia lucida", which is now known as Persoonia × lucida, and has been recorded from the southeast forests of the New South Wales south coast.
Description
Persoonia levis grows as a tall shrub to small tree, and can reach 5 m (16 ft) in height. The flaky soft barkBark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is dark grey on the surface, while deeper layers are reddish in colour. Within the bark are epicormic buds
Epicormic shoot
An epicormic shoot is a shoot growing from an epicormic bud which lies underneath the bark of a trunk, stem, or branch of a plant.-Epicormic buds:...
, which sprout new growth after bushfire. The new growth is smooth to slightly hairy. The large green leaves measure 6 to 14 cm (2.2–5.5 in) in length, and 1.3 to 8 cm (0.5–3.2 in) in width, and are oblong or sickle-shaped (falcate). The asymmetrical shape helps distinguish the species from P. lanceolata. The bright green foliage, particularly of new growth, stands out against the more subdued tones of the surrounding vegetation and the stems, which are reddish in colour. The yellow flowers appear in summer and autumn (December to April), and peak over December to February. They are arranged on short axillary raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s along the branchlets. Each individual flower consists of a cylindrical perianth
Perianth
The term perianth has two similar but separate meanings in botany:* In flowering plants, the perianth are the outer, sterile whorls of a flower...
, consisting of tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s fused for most of their length, within which are both male and female parts. The central style is surrounded by the anther, which splits into four segments; these curl back and resemble a cross when viewed from above. They provide a landing area for insects attending to the stigma
Stigma (botany)
The stigma is the receptive tip of a carpel, or of several fused carpels, in the gynoecium of a flower. The stigma receives pollen at pollination and it is on the stigma that the pollen grain germinates. The stigma is adapted to catch and trap pollen with various hairs, flaps, or sculpturings...
, which is located at the tip of the style. The smooth fleshy fruit, known as a drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
, is green and more or less round, measuring 1 cm (0.4 in) by 0.8 cm (0.3 in) in diameter. It contains two seeds, and has a spike at the end. The drupe is juicy but stringy when unripe, and the seeds and skin are inedible.
Distribution and habitat
Persoonia levis is found from the Macleay RiverMacleay River
The Macleay River is a major river on the Mid North Coast , Australia.The headwaters of the Macleay River rise as the Gara River on the eastern side of the Northern Tablelands near Armidale and Walcha, New South Wales. From here the Chandler River, Styx River and Apsley Rivers are important...
catchment on the New South Wales mid north coast to the Cann River
Cann River
The Cann River is a river of Gippsland in southeastern Victoria, Australia. It arises in the Bondi Forest in New South Wales and flows south to the Croajingolong National Park before entering Bass Strait via Tamboon Inlet....
in far eastern Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. It is found in dry sclerophyll forest on sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
-based nutrient-deficient soils, from sea level to an altitude of 1000 m (3500 ft). There it grows in sunny or lightly shaded areas in open woodland, associated with such trees as Eucalyptus piperita
Eucalyptus piperita
Eucalyptus piperita, commonly known as Sydney Peppermint and Urn-fruited Peppermint, is a small to medium forest tree native to New South Wales, Australia.-Description:...
, E. sieberi
Eucalyptus sieberi
Eucalyptus sieberi, the Silvertop Ash or Black Ash is a common eucalyptus tree of south eastern Australia. The range of distribution is in the higher rainfall areas, from near sea level to high altitude...
, E. sclerophylla
Eucalyptus sclerophylla
Eucalyptus sclerophylla, known as the Scribbly Gum, is a tree native to eastern Australia. Very similar to the related Scribbly Gum , a better known tree. The best way of distinguishing the species is the smaller hemispherical to pear shaped gumnuts of Eucalyptus sclerophylla, being 0.6 cm by...
, E. radiata
Eucalyptus radiata
Eucalyptus radiata is a medium to tall tree to 30 m high with persistent bark on the trunk and larger branches or persistent to smaller branches. The bark shortly fibrous , grey to grey-brown, shedding in long ribbons...
, E. smithii
Eucalyptus smithii
Eucalyptus smithii, or gully gum, is a native tree of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales, Australia. In its natural situation it occurs on the lower slopes, gullies, and swamps - where soils do not dry out....
, Angophora costata
Angophora costata
Angophora costata is a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia and is known by a variety of names including smooth-barked apple, rose gum, rose apple or Sydney red gum. It grows primarily on sandstone soils, usually on headlands, plateaus or other elevated areas. A...
and Corymbia gummifera
Corymbia gummifera
Corymbia gummifera, commonly known as Red Bloodwood, is a hardwood tree native to eastern Australia.-Description:It usually grows as a tree, but may take the form of a mallee in very poor soils. As a tree it typically grows to a height of 20 to 34 metres and a trunk diameter of one metre dbh....
, and shrubs such as Conospermum longifolium
Conospermum longifolium
Conospermum longifolium is a shrub of the Proteaceae family native to eastern Australia. Found between Ulladulla, Newcastle, New South Wales and the adjacent ranges. The habitat is drier eucalyptus woodlands or heathland.Three sub-species are recognised:...
, Grevillea buxifolia
Grevillea buxifolia
Grevillea buxifolia is a species of the family Proteaceae. It grows in coastal New South Wales, Australia. First described in 1793 by James Edward Smith, he gave the new species the name 'Embothrium buxifolium'. It is widely cultivated and contains a numbers of subspecies and cultivars...
, G. phylicoides
Grevillea phylicoides
Grevillea phylicoides is a shrub endemic to New South Wales in eastern Australia. It is one of the many species authored by Robert Brown....
, Hakea laevipes
Hakea laevipes
Hakea laevipes is a shrub native to New South Wales in eastern Australia....
, Symphionema montanum
Symphionema montanum
Symphionema montanum is a shrub endemic to New South Wales in eastern Australia. It is one of the many species authored by Robert Brown....
and Telopea speciosissima
Telopea speciosissima
Telopea speciosissima, commonly known as the New South Wales waratah or simply waratah, is a large shrub in the plant family Proteaceae. It is endemic to New South Wales in Australia and is the floral emblem of that state...
, as well as Persoonia hirsuta
Persoonia hirsuta
Persoonia hirsuta is a shrub native to New South Wales in eastern Australia....
and P. mollis. Coastal forms are smaller with broader leaves than inland forms. The annual rainfall of the area it occurs in the Sydney Basin
Sydney Basin
The Sydney Basin is a sedimentary basin on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia consisting of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks...
is 900 –. It is considered adequately protected in the Sydney region, and is found in Georges River
Georges River National Park
Georges River is a national park in New South Wales , 18 km southwest of Sydney. It is set along the Georges River, and is run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service....
, Cattai
Cattai National Park
Cattai is a national park in New South Wales , 45 km northwest of Sydney. It is the site of a land grant to the First Fleet assistant surgeon, Thomas Arndell. Arndell's cottage, dating from 1821, is still in the park...
, Wollemi
Wollemi National Park
Wollemi National Park is the second largest national park in New South Wales, and contains most of the largest wilderness area, the Wollemi Wilderness...
, Bouddi
Bouddi National Park
Bouddi National Park is located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, 46 km northeast of Sydney. A section of the national park extends into the sea creating fully protected land, shore and marine habitats. The Park contains one of the last temperate rainforests on the Central...
, Brisbane Water
Brisbane Water National Park
Brisbane Water National park is a national park in New South Wales, , 47 km north of Sydney.The park has many pleasant and interesting walks that can vary from mild to rugged. One walk that can be easily accessed via public transport, is the walk to Pindar Cave on the escarpment above...
, Marramarra
Marramarra National Park
Marramarra is a national park in New South Wales , 41 km north of Sydney.-Fact sheet:*Area: 118 km²*Coordinates: *Date of establishment: December 28, 1979...
, Ku-ring-gai Chase
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Ku-ring-gai Chase is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 25 km north of Sydney located largely within the Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Warringah and Pittwater municipal areas. Ku-ring-gai Chase is also officially classed as a suburb by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales...
, Garigal
Garigal National Park
Garigal National Park is a national park in New South Wales , 20 km north of central Sydney. The park is somewhat disjointed but covers the following areas:...
, Lane Cove
Lane Cove National Park
Lane Cove National Park is a small national park located within metropolitan Sydney. The park islocated about ten kilometres north-west of the Sydney CBD...
, Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour National Park
thumb|right|250px|[[Nielsen Park]]Sydney Harbour National Park is a national park comprising parts of Sydney Harbour, its foreshores and various islands. The park lies within the Sydney metropolitan area and was created in piecemeal fashion during the 20th century...
, Botany Bay
Botany Bay National Park
Botany Bay National Park is a national park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia located approximately 16 km south east of the Sydney central business district, on the northern and southern headlands of Botany Bay...
and Budderoo National Park
Budderoo National Park
Budderoo is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 99 km southwest of Sydney, best known for the timber boardwalk through the Minnamurra rainforest...
s.
Ecology
Persoonia levis is one of several species of Persoonia that regenerate by resprouting from the trunk after bushfire, an adaptation to the fire-proneFire ecology
Fire ecology is concerned with the processes linking the natural incidence of fire in an ecosystem and the ecological effects of this fire. Many ecosystems, such as the North American prairie and chaparral ecosystems, and the South African savanna, have evolved with fire as a natural and necessary...
habitat in which it grows. Its thick papery bark shields the underlying epicormic buds
Epicormic shoot
An epicormic shoot is a shoot growing from an epicormic bud which lies underneath the bark of a trunk, stem, or branch of a plant.-Epicormic buds:...
from the flames. Plants also regenerate by seedlings that arise from a seedbank in the soil after fire, although they may take up to 12 months to germinate. One study of sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest unburnt for thirty years showed P. levis had declined over time. P. levis plants can live for over 60 years, and their leaves have a lifespan of up to 6 years.
Vesicles indicating a mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l association have been found on the roots of Persoonia levis, the Proteaceae not previously noted for forming mycorrhizal associations. Infection by the fungal species Anthracostroma persooniae results in leaf spot disease. P. levis is the food plant of the larvae of the weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
species Eurhynchus laevior.
Colletid
Colletidae
Colletidae is a family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these secretions dry into a cellophane-like lining...
bees of the genus Leioproctus
Leioproctus
Leioproctus is a genus in the plaster bee family Colletidae. Its members are primarily found in Australasia and temperate South America, and include the most common native bees in New Zealand...
subgenus Cladocerapis exclusively forage on and pollinate flowers of many species of Persoonia. Bees of subgenus Filiglossa in the same genus that also specialise in feeding on Persoonia flowers do not appear to be effective pollinators. Particular species recorded on P. levis include the longtongue bee Leioproctus carinatifrons
Leioproctus carinatifrons
Leioproctus carinatifrons is a species of Australian bee. It is found in coastal regions of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and feeds on the nectar of various species of Persoonia. It was first described in 1929 by T. D. A. Cockerell as Paracolletes carinatifrons. Males are around ...
. Weighing 1700 mg (0.60 oz), the fruit are adapted to be eaten by vertebrates, such as kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s and possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
s, as well as currawong
Currawong
Currawongs are three species of medium-sized passerine birds belonging to the genus Strepera in the family Artamidae native to Australasia. These are the Grey Currawong , Pied Currawong , and Black Currawong . The common name comes from the call of the familiar Pied Currawong of eastern Australia...
s and other large birds. The flowers of P. levis are self-incompatible
Self-incompatibility in plants
Self-incompatibility is a general name for several genetic mechanisms in angiosperms, which prevent self-fertilization and thus encourage outcrossing...
—that is, they are unable to fertilise themselves and require outcrossing
Outcrossing
Outcrossing is the practice of introducing unrelated genetic material into a breeding line. It increases genetic diversity, thus reducing the probability of all individuals being subject to disease or reducing genetic abnormalities...
to another plant.
Cultivation
Persoonia levis is rarely seen in cultivationHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, mainly due to difficulties in propagation
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
; seed germination
Germination
Germination is the process in which a plant or fungus emerges from a seed or spore, respectively, and begins growth. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the...
is unpredictable, and cuttings have been nearly impossible to strike. Nevertheless, its colourful bark and leaves are attractive horticultural features. Well-drained sandy soils in sun or part shade are needed for the plant in a garden situation. Once established, it tolerates moderate frosts and dry spells and grows fairly readily, albeit slowly, in suitable conditions. Plantsmen
Plantsman
A plantsman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardener , nurseryman or nurserywoman. "Plantsman" can refer to a male or female person, though the terms plantswoman, or even plantsperson, are sometimes used....
germinated seed in England as early as 1795.