Cassinia hewsoniae Orchard APNI* 
Description: Erect shrub 0.8–2.0 m high; young stems green to reddish, viscid, with moderately dense indumentum of spreading scabrous ± gland-tipped hairs; sparse cottony hairs also present in leaf axils.
Leaves terete, shortly decurrent on stem, extremely variable length, 8–50 mm long, 0.5–0.9 mm wide, margins revolute to midrib, tip ± straight to reflexed, mucronate; upper surface dull to glossy mid-green, viscid at least when young, smooth or rugose, appearing glabrous or sparsely scabrous; lower surface densely white tomentose with ± glabrous midrib.
Inflorescence a small-medium, flat or rounded corymb of 40–100 heads, each 4.0–5.5 mm long. Involucral bracts cartilaginous, arranged in 5 vertical ranks. Outer bracts greenish; inner bracts with opaque white ± lacerate, slightly reflexed tip and yellow-brown or greenish base. Florets 7–12 per head, cream with green base.
Achenes silvery white, c. 1 mm long, longitudinally ribbed ± square in cross section. Pappus of 15–17 persistent bristles.
Flowering: Mainly October–December but also in response to rain.
Distribution and occurrence: Occurs in mallee or Eucalypt woodland on a range of soils generally on flat terrain in south-central NSW.
NSW subdivisions: ST, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP
Inflorescences have a mild honey-scent. This species has a close relationship and adjoining distribution with C. theresae but is distinguished by the glabrous or sparsely hairy upper leaf surfaces (densely scabrous in C. theresae) and longer achenes.
Text by K. Ismay
Taxon concept: A. E. Orchard 2004
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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