| Lemon beauty-heads | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Calocephalus |
| Species: | C. citreus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Calocephalus citreus | |
Calocephalus lacteus, commonly known as lemon beauty-heads,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It has yellow cylindrical shaped flowers and grey stems and grows in the eastern states of Australia
Description
Calocephalus citreus is a perennial herb with upright, slender, light grey, fuzzy, slightly angular stems growing to about 15–60 cm (5.9–23.6 in) high. The leaves are arranged usually opposite, linear to lance-shaped, mostly 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long, 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) wide and covered with short, matted, dense hairs and prominent veins. The heads are solitary, oblong to globose shaped, about 0.4–2 cm (0.16–0.79 in) long, lemon-coloured in bud, bright yellow in flower. The 8-11 bracts are flat, conduplicate, 1.9–3.4 mm (0.075–0.134 in) long with 2-3 florets per head. Flowering occurs from September to March and the fruit is a cypsela 0.7–0.85 mm (0.028–0.033 in) long, brown, and the upper surface covered in fine, feathery bristles.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
Calocephalus citreus was first formally described in 1832 by Christian Friedrich Lessing and the description was published in Synopsis Generum Compositarum.[4][5] The specific epithet (citreus) means "lemon-coloured".[6]
Distribution and habitat
Lemon beauty-heads grows in low-lying areas in herbfields, dry forest and grassy woodland in eastern states of Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.[7]
References
- ^ "Calocephalus citreus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ a b Brown, E.A. "Calocephalus citreus". PlantNET-NSW flora online. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ Cosgrove, Meredith (2014). Photographic Guide to Native Plants of the Australian Capital Territory. Meadow Argus. p. 160. ISBN 9780994183408.
- ^ "Calocephalus citreus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ Lessing, Christian Friedrich (1832). Calocephalus citreus. London. p. 271. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 271. ISBN 9780958034197.
- ^ "Calocephalus citreus". VICFLORA-flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
This page was last edited on 16 July 2023, at 02:18