Persoonia pinifolia

Persoonia pinifolia grows as an upright woody shrub up to {{convert|3|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} high and wide. Its young branches are moderately hairy. The leaves are soft and thread-like, {{convert|30-70|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, about {{convert|0.5|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide, moderately hairy when young, but become glabrous as they age. The ends of the leaves are often curved. The flowers are arranged in long, terminal racemes making them much more conspicuous than those of most other persoonias. The flowers each have a moderately hairy pedicel {{convert|1-4|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and there is a small leaf at the base of each flower. The flower is composed of four tepals {{convert|8-9|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, which are fused at the base but with the tips rolled back. The central style is surrounded by four yellow anthers which are also joined at the base with the tips rolled back, so that it resembles a cross when viewed end-on. Flowering occurs mainly from late winter to summer, sometimes in other months. Flowering is followed by fruit which are fleshy green drupes giving the appearance of a bunch of grapes.{{cite web|last1=Weston|first1=Peter H.|title=Persoonia pinifolia|url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Persoonia~pinifolia|publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Sydney|access-date=29 December 2017}}{{cite web|title=Persoonia pinifolia|url=http://anpsa.org.au/p-pin.html|publisher=Australian Native Plants Society Australia|access-date=30 December 2017}}{{cite book|last1=Fairley|first1=Alan|last2=Moore|first2=Philip|title=Native plants of the Sydney region : from Newcastle to Nowra and west to the Dividing Range|date=2010|publisher=Allen & Unwin|location=Crows Nest, N.S.W.|isbn=9781741755718|page=231|edition=3rd}}

Persoonia pinifolia was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown from specimens collected "near Port Jackson", and the description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.{{cite web|title=Persoonia pinifolia|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/548673|publisher=APNI|access-date=29 December 2017}}{{cite journal|last1=Brown|first1=Robert|journal=Transactions of the Linnean Society of London|date=1810|volume=10|issue=1|page=160|title=On the natural order of plants called Proteaceae.|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/13720#page/168/mode/1up|access-date=30 December 2017}} The specific epithet (pinifolia) is derived from the Latin words pinus meaning "pine"{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.}}{{rp|609}} and folium meaning "leaf".{{rp|466}}

The fruits of P. pinifolia are taken by birds, including pied currawong, satin and regent bowerbirds, olive-backed oriole and Lewin's honeyeater but how this affects seed dispersal is not known.{{cite journal|last1=Myerscough|first1=Peter J.|last2=Whelan|first2=Rob J.|last3=Bradstock|first3=Ross A.|title=Ecology of Proteaceae with special reference to the Sydney region|journal=Cunninghamia|date=2001|volume=6|issue=4|page=977|url=https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/getmedia/dd1771eb-67bb-4bd5-bfdf-c6076a47ade2/Volume-6(4)-2000-Cun64951Mye-1015.pdf.aspx|access-date=29 December 2017}} Unlike most Proteaceae, Persoonia pinifolia does not have proteoid roots.{{cite journal|author=Purnell , Helen M.|year=1957|title=Studies of the family Proteaceae. I. Anatomy and morphology of the roots of some Victorian species|journal=Australian Journal of Botany|volume=8|issue=1|pages=38–50|doi=10.1071/BT9600038}}

Pine-leaved geebung is an attractive plant in the garden, but it is difficult to propagate from seed or cuttings. Success has been achieved by clipping the seed coating followed by treatment with gibberellic acid solution. Some clones seem to produce seed that germinates more readily.{{cite web |last1=Jardine |first1=Duncan |title=Persoonia pinifolia |url=https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2009/persoonia-pinifolia.html |publisher=Australian National Botanic Gardens |access-date=14 October 2024}}{{cite book |last1=Wrigley |first1=John W. |last2=Fagg |first2=Murray |title=Australian Native Plants - A Manual for their Propagation, Cultivation and Use in Landscaping |date=1983 |publisher=William Collins Publishers Pty.Ltd. |location=Sydney |isbn=0002165759 |page=278 |edition=2nd}}

The species is reliable in gardens in an open sunny spot with good drainage, and requires little maintenance. The flowers, although small, are well displayed and the plant tolerates reasonably heavy frosts.{{cite web |title=Persoonia pinifolia |url=https://anpsa.org.au/plant_profiles/persoonia-pinifolia/ |publisher=Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) |access-date=14 October 2024}} It is a good hedge or screen plant and often flowers from January to August, followed by interesting olive-like fruit.{{cite web |title=Persoonia pinifolia |url=http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/mount_annan_botanic_garden/the_garden/blooming_calendar/Persoonia_pinifolia |publisher=Mount Annan Botanic Garden |access-date=14 October 2024}}

Tissue culture has been shown to be successful with P. pinifolia and some other species of persoonia.{{cite journal|last1=Offord|first1=Catherine A.|last2=Rollason|first2=Amanda|last3=Frith|first3=Allison|title=Tissue culture of Persoonia species for horticulture and restoration|journal=Acta Horticulturae|date=September 2015|issue=1097|pages=149–154|doi=10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1097.17}}

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Category:Flora of New South Wales

pinifolia

Category:Garden plants

Category:Plants described in 1810