Persoonia glaucescens (Persoonia glaucescens)

Description

Persoonia glaucescens, commonly known as the Mittagong geebung, is a shrub native to New South Wales in eastern Australia. It was formerly known as Persoonia lanceolata subspecies B. It is currently classified under Commonwealth legislation as vulnerable, and is listed in New South Wales legislation as endangered. Franz Sieber described the Mittagong geebung as Persoonia glaucescens in 1827, before Stephan Endlicher reclassified it as subspecies of Persoonia lanceolata in 1848. Peter Weston observed that it grew together with P. lanceolata in the Balmoral-Hilltop area and did not appear to hybridise with it, hence concluded it should be raised to species status again. Within the genus, it is 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. The Mittagong geebung grows as a shrub with an upright habit, reaching 3 m (10 ft) high. It has smooth bark, with red-brown branches. The new growth is hairy. The leaves are lanceolate (spear-shaped) to lanceolate, and measure 3–8 cm (1.2–3.1 in) long by 0.4–1.8 cm (0.2–0.7 in) wide. Flowering takes place from January to May. The flower heads are auxotelic, which means each stalk bears an individual flower that is subtended by a leaf at its junction with the stem. There are 1 to 30 individual flowers in a flower head (rachis), which can be up to 19 cm long. The flowers are followed by the development of the green drupes, which are ripe and drop off the plant the following September to December. The Mittagong geebung is found in small scattered patches in an area bordered by Buxton to the north and Berrima to the south, having vanished from the vicinities of Thirlmere Lakes and Fitzroy Falls. It grows on clay and gravel soils over laterite on upper slopes and ridges, between 400 and 650 m above sea level. It grows in dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest with such trees as red bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera), scribbly gum (Eucalyptus sclerophylla), Sydney peppermint (E. piperita), silvertop ash (E. sieberi ), narrow-leaved stringybark (E. sparsifolia), grey gum (E. punctata) and, at higher elevations, snow gum (E. pauciflora). The increased light and lack of competing plants means the species adapts preferably to (and can be found on) road verges.