Petrophile biloba R.Br.

Taxon Name and Growth Form

Petrophile biloba R.Br. is a shrub that typically grows between 1 and 2 metres (3 ft 3 in to 6 ft 7 in) in height.

Branchlet Characteristics

It produces hairy branchlets that become hairless (glabrous) as they age.

Leaf Dimensions

Its leaves are 15 to 20 millimetres (0.59 to 0.79 in) long, borne on a petiole up to 20 millimetres (0.79 in) long.

Leaf Structure

The leaves are pinnately divided all the way to the midrib, with two or three lobes, each ending in a sharp point.

Flower Head Arrangement

Flowers are arranged in leaf axils, forming sessile, oval-shaped flower heads around 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long, and these heads sometimes grow in clusters.

Involucral Bracts

A small number of deciduous involucral bracts are present at the base of each head.

Individual Flower Features

Individual flowers are around 17 to 25 millimetres (0.67 to 0.98 in) long, most often grey to pink in colour, and covered in hairs.

Flowering Period

Flowering takes place from June to October.

Fruit Structure

After flowering, the fruit is a nut that fuses with other nuts to form an oval head 10 to 14 millimetres (0.39 to 0.55 in) long.

Habitat

This species of petrophile grows in heath growing over laterite soil.

Distribution Range

Its distribution ranges from near the Canning River to near Wannamal, within the Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographical regions of southwestern Western Australia.