Centipeda elatinoides (Less.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex O.Hoffm. APNI* Description: Prostrate annual or perennial; branches to 30 cm long, sometimes rooting from lower nodes, mostly glabrous.
Leaves mostly alternate, obovate or narrow-obovate, 6–20 mm long, 2.5–8 mm wide, entire or shallowly toothed, resin dotted on both surfaces.
Inflorescence a single shortly pedunculate flowerhead, usually leaf opposed; peduncle 0.5–3 mm long.Flowerheads biconvex to hemispherical, 3–5 mm diameter; involucral bracts 1 to 2 rows, obovate with runinate membranous margins; receptacle convex, female (outer) florets 40–80, in 2–4 rows, corollas narrow-cylindrical green or yellow-green.; bisexual florets (inner) 4–14, broadly obconical and often purplish.
Fruiting head with involucral bracts widely spreading to slightly deflexed. Achenes of both florets similar, narrow-obovate 1.2–2.0 mm long, 3- or 4-angled, each angle with a thickened longitudinal rib with short ascending to appressed hairs, faces with scattered glandular hairs.
Distribution and occurrence: Possibly naturalised across some of its range. In cool temperate areas of south-eastern Australia. Typically growing on inundated sites, creek beds, rivers lakes, and usually on silty or clayey soils, or wet gravels, from near sea level to c. 1200 metres altitude.
NSW subdivisions: CC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, SWS
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. S.A.
Text by Louisa Murray
Taxon concept: Walsh, N (2001) Revision of Centipeda. Muelleria Vol 15 ; 33-64
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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