Common name: pale fan-flower
Scaevola albida (Sm.) Druce APNI* Description: Prostrate to ascending herb to 50 cm high, often woody at base, with curled simple hairs or glabrous.
Leaves obovate to elliptic, 0.6–5 cm long, 1–25 mm wide, margins toothed to entire, surface usually visible beneath hairs; sessile.
Flowers in leafy spikes to 25 cm long; bracts leaf-like; bracteoles narrow-elliptic, 3–9 mm long, ciliate. Sepals ± free, ± ovate, to 0.7 mm long. Corolla 5–10 mm long, blue or white, with white ± appressed hairs outside, thinly bearded inside with some of the hairs usually papillate at apex; wings to 1 mm wide. Anthers glabrous. Indusium, with short white or purple bristles at base not exceeding those on lips.
Fruit ellipsoid, c. 3 mm long, pubescent or glabrous, wrinkled, usually 1-seeded.
Flowering: throughout year.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in sclerophyll forest and low-growing coastal communities, chiefly on the coast and ranges, inland to the upper Hunter Valley and Mt Kaputar N.P.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, CWS
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. S.A.
Text by R. C. Carolin
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the varieties | |
| 1 | Style villous; leaves 1–5 cm long, 5–22 mm wide; corolla 8–12 mm long, blue; subshrub to 50 cm high, branches usually ascending. Widespread., | var. albida |
| Style glabrous; leaves 0.6–2 cm long, 1–7 mm wide; corolla 5–8 mm long, white or very pale blue; subshrub 2–20 cm high, usually prostrate | var. pallida |
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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