Clasping goodenia

Appearance

"Goodenia amplexans" is an aromatic, erect undershrub or shrubby herb that typically grows to a height of 100 cm and has hairy, sticky foliage. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, sessile, stem-clasping, egg-shaped to oblong or elliptic, 30–90 mm long and 5–30 mm wide with small teeth on the edges. The flowers are arranged in spike-like racemes up to 150 mm long on a peduncle 1–2 mm long with linear to lance-shaped, leaf-like bracteoles 1–2 mm long at the base, each flower on a pedicel 2–3 mm long. The sepals are lance-shaped, 2.5–3.5 mm long and the corolla is yellow, 12–15 mm long and glabrous. The lower lobes of the corolla are 3.5–7.5 mm long with wings 1–2.5 mm wide. Flowering mainly occurs from August to February and the fruit is an elliptic capsule about 6 mm long.

Naming

"Goodenia amplexans" was first formally described in 1857 by Ferdinand von Mueller in the "Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria" from plants growing on "ridges and gullies near Adelaide". The specific epithet means "embracing", referring to the stem-clasping leaves.

Distribution

Clasping goodenia grows in forest and woodland and on sea cliffs in the southern Flinders Ranges, the Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

Habitat

Clasping goodenia grows in forest and woodland and on sea cliffs in the southern Flinders Ranges, the Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island in South Australia.