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Petrophile trifurcata
Petrophile trifurcata is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with three-lobed, needle-shaped, sharply-pointed leaves, and spherical heads of hairy, yellow flowers. DescriptionPetrophile trifurcata is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 35–65 cm (14–26 in) and has hairy young branchlets that become glabrous as they age. The leaves are 10–16 mm (0.39–0.63 in) long and needle-shaped, mostly with three sharply-pointed lobes up to 6 mm (0.24 in) long. The flowers are arranged at the ends of branchlets in sessile, spherical heads 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter, with egg-shaped involucral bracts at the base. The flowers are about 10 mm (0.39 in) long, yellow and hairy. Flowering has been observed in September and the fruit is a nut, fused with others in a spherical head about 12 mm (0.47 in) in diameter.[2][3][4] TaxonomyPetrophile trifurcata was first formally described in 1995 by Donald Bruce Foreman in Flora of Australia from material collected near Wongan Hills in 1983.[5] The specific epithet (trifurcata) means "three-forked", referring to the three-pronged leaves.[6] Distribution and habitatThis petrophile is only known from a few locations near Wongan Hills and between Watheroo and Coorow in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic regions, growing in sandy soil with Actinostrobus arenarius.[2][3][4] Conservation statusThis petrophile is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[3] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[7] References
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