Common name: Perennial Sunray
Chrysocephalum pterochaetum F.Muell. APNI* Synonyms: Helipterum pterochaetum (F.Muell.) Benth. APNI*
Description: Rigid bushy perennial herb or subshrub 15–40 cm high and diam.; branches white-felty.
Leaves linear to linear-oblanceolate, mostly 1–3 cm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, apex blunt, margins recurved, both surfaces glandular-scabrous, sometimes with scattered woolly hairs.
Heads shortly pedunculate (to c. 10 mm long) in subcorymbose clusters of 3–8 terminating long branchlets bearing reduced leaves, narrow-campanulate to obconical, 5–7 mm long and 5–6 mm diam.; involucral bracts 5- or 6-seriate, inner ones longest, slightly exceeded by the florets, ± hyaline, papillose, ciliate; outer bracts with apex golden-brown to brown, ± opaque; inner bracts scarious. Florets female and bisexual.
Achenes obovoid-oblong, papillose; pappus bristles of bisexual florets 8–19, subplumose from shortly fused base, barbellate towards apex, of female florets lacking.
Flowering: Flowers throughout year but mostly winter.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in mulga and degenerate saltbush communities on sandy and rocky soils of creek beds and hillslopes; mainly north and west from White Cliffs.
NSW subdivisions: NFWP
Other Australian states: Qld W.A. S.A. N.T.
Text by J. Everett
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
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.
|
