Persoonia virgata (small-leaved geebung)

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Persoonia, Genus, virgata, Species,

Genus & species

small-leaved geebung

Proteaceae

Eastern Australia (New South Wales to south-eastern Queensland)

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 9–11

Overview

Persoonia virgata is an upright evergreen shrub of the family Proteaceae, reaching 3–10 feet (1–3 m) tall and 3–6.5 feet (1–2 m) wide. The slender, often weeping branches carry narrow, linear leaves 0.8–2 inches (20–50 mm) long and about 0.04–0.1 inch (1–3 mm) wide, mid to deep green. Small, tubular yellow flowers about 0.4 inch (10 mm) long open singly along the stems through summer and into autumn, each with four recurved tepals and a central style. The fruit is a fleshy green drupe, or geebung, about 0.3–0.4 inch (8–10 mm) long that ripens and falls. P. virgata grows in heath, dry sclerophyll forest, and woodland on sandy soils in eastern Australia, from coastal New South Wales into Queensland. It tolerates poor sandy soils, drought, and fire, regenerating from seed and from a lignotuber, but it is slow and unreliable to raise from seed and is sensitive to root disturbance and phosphorus-rich soils.

Native Range

Native to eastern Australia, in heath, dry sclerophyll forest, and woodland on sandy soils from coastal New South Wales into south-eastern Queensland.

Suggested Uses

Used in native and coastal gardens as a foliage and screening shrub on sandy, low-phosphorus soils. Suited to low-water and fire-prone sites in full sun to part shade. Spaced 3–6 feet (0.9–1.8 m) apart.

How to Identify

Recognised by its slender, often weeping branches and narrow linear leaves 0.8–2 inches (20–50 mm) long. Small tubular yellow flowers about 0.4 inch (10 mm) long with four recurved tepals open along the stems in summer. The fleshy green drupes, or geebungs, and the narrow leaves separate it from broader-leaved Persoonia species.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 10'

Width/Spread3' - 6'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

yellow

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~12 weeks

Flowers: December–March

Summer Fall

Small tubular yellow flowers open along the stems through summer and into autumn (December–March in the native range). Each flower is about 0.4 inch (10 mm) long with four recurved tepals. Fleshy green drupes follow and ripen over the following months.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

mid to deep green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 5-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 6.5 (Acidic to neutral)

3579

Soil Types

sand rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grow Persoonia virgata in full sun to part shade in coarse, sharply drained sandy or gravelly soil low in phosphorus. It tolerates drought, poor soils, and fire once established and needs little water. Rich, phosphorus-heavy, or waterlogged soils cause decline and root rot. The plant resprouts from a lignotuber after fire or hard pruning. Seed is slow and difficult to germinate, so plants are usually grown from cuttings or supplied as tubestock. In cultivation it suits low-water native gardens and sandy coastal sites.

Pruning

Light pruning after flowering keeps the shrub bushy and can be taken into older wood, which reshoots from the lignotuber. Tip-pruning young plants builds a denser framework. Dead or damaged stems can be removed as needed.

Toxicity

Non-toxic

Related Persoonia species