About Petrophile shirleyae F.M.Bailey
Growth Habit
Petrophile shirleyae is an erect shrub that typically reaches a height of 0.3 to 1.2 meters (1 foot 0 inches to 3 feet 11 inches). Its leaves and branchlets are more or less glabrous.
Leaf Structure
The leaves are either bipinnate or tripinnate, measuring 80 to 200 millimeters (3.1 to 7.9 inches) long, and grow on a petiole 30 to 50 millimeters (1.2 to 2.0 inches) long. The leaf pinnae themselves are 30 to 65 millimeters (1.2 to 2.6 inches) long.
Flower Head Arrangement
Flowers form at the ends of branchlets in narrow oval heads 30 to 55 millimeters (1.2 to 2.2 inches) long, sometimes growing in pairs. A small number of broadly egg-shaped involucral bracts are present at the base of these flower heads.
Individual Flower Characteristics
Individual flowers reach up to about 12 millimeters (0.47 inches) in length, are covered in silky hairs, and range in color from white to pale cream.
Flowering Period
Flowering takes place from October to February.
Fruit Characteristics
The fruit produced is a nut, and multiple nuts fuse together into an oval head that grows up to about 80 millimeters (3.1 inches) long.
Habitat and Distribution
This species grows in sandy heath and forest within near-coastal areas of south-eastern Queensland.
