''Goodenia connata'', commonly known as cup velleia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae, and is found in all mainland states and territories of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is a

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

annual

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

with a rosette of leaves at the base, and ascending flowering stems with yellow, brownish-yellow or white flowers, often with mauve markings.

Description

''Goodenia connata'' is a glabrous annual herb with finely toothed to

lyre The lyre () (from Greek λύρα and Latin ''lyra)'' is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute family of instruments. In organology, a ...

-shaped pinnatipartite leaves long and wide. The flowers are borne on a glabrous, erect flowering stem tall, the bracteoles joined to form a cup in diameter, each flower on a pedicel long. The flowers are yellow, brownish-yellow or white, often with mauve markings. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s are joined at the base forming a tube long, the lower lobes of the corolla are long with short, narrow wings. Flowering mainly occurs from September to January and the fruit is a compressed oval capsule long.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1854 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria, Australia ...

who gave it the name ''Velleia connata'' in '' Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria'', from specimens collected near the junction of the Murray and

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

s. In 2020, Kelly Anne Shepherd transferred the species to '' Goodenia'' as ''G. connata'' in the journal ''

PhytoKeys ''PhytoKeys'' is a peer-reviewed, open-access online and print botanical journal. Its stated goal is "to support free exchange of ideas and information in systematic botany". Printed issues of the journal are available in the libraries of the Unit ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

''Goodenia connata'' occurs in all continental Australian mainland states and territories. In New South Wales it is widespread in arid and semi-arid regions in the west of that state. In Victoria it is found in the far north-west on sand dunes. In South Australia in grows on sandy soils usually in mulga or triodia grassland and has a widespread but disjunct distribution. It grows on rocky ranges or hills in the southern half of the Northern Territory and in the Central Ranges, Coolgardie,

Great Sandy Desert The Great Sandy Desert is an interim Australian bioregion,IBRA Version 6.1
data

Great Victoria Desert The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. History In 1875, British-born Australian explore ...

Little Sandy Desert The Little Sandy Desert (LSD) is a desert region in the state of Western Australia, lying to the east of the Pilbara and north of the Gascoyne regions. It is part of the Western Desert cultural bloc, Western Desert cultural region, and was dec ...

, Murchison and

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

bioregions of inland Western Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar , from = Q17480538, foc = no connata Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Eudicots of Western Australia Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of South Australia Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Plants described in 1854