Olearia passerinoides, commonly known as slender daisy bush,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to southern continental Australia. It is a slender, sticky shrub with linear leaves, and white or pale mauve and mauve or pink daisy flowers.

Olearia passerinoides
Subspecies passerinoides in the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Olearia
Species:
O. passerinoides
Binomial name
Olearia passerinoides
Synonyms[1]
  • Aster vernicifluus F.Muell. nom. illeg., nom. superfl.
  • Aster vernicosus F.Muell.
  • Diplopappus passerinoides Turcz.
  • Olearia toppii Ewart & Jean White
  • Olearia vernicosa F.Muell. nom. inval., pro syn.

Description

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Olearia passerinoides is a slender, glabrous, sticky shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Its branchlets are arranged alternately, more or less sessile and pressed against the stem, linear, 4–25 mm (0.16–0.98 in) long and 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) wide. The heads or daisy-like "flowers" are arranged singly or in corymbs on the ends of branches and are 11–23 mm (0.43–0.91 in) wide on a peduncle up to 10 mm (0.39 in) long, the involucre bell-shaped and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long. Each flower has six to fifteen white or pale mauve ray florets, the ligule 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long surrounding four to fourteen mauve or pink disc florets. Flowering occurs throughout the year and the achenes are silky-hairy and 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) long, the pappus with 33 to 47 bristles.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

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This daisy bush was first formally described in 1851 by Nikolai Turczaninow, who gave it the name Diplopappus passerinoides in Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou, based on plant material collected by James Drummond.[5][6] In 1867, George Bentham changed the name to Olearia passerinoides in Flora Australiensis.[7] The specific epithet (passerinoides) means "Passerina-like".[8]

In 1985, David Cooke described two subspecies of O. passerinoides in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

  • Olearia passerinoides subsp. glutescens (Sond.) D.A.Cooke[9] has the heads arranged in corymbs with eight to fifteen ray florets, the ligules 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long.[10]
  • Olearia passerinoides (Turcz.) Benth. subsp. passerinoides (Sond.) D.A.Cooke[11] has the heads arranged singly with six to nine ray florets, the ligules 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long.[10]

Distribution and habitat

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Olearia passerinoides grows in mallee, forest and shrubland in southern continental Australia. Only subsp. passerinoides is listed as occurring in Western Australia.[12] Both subspecies are listed as occurring in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.[2][10][4] In Victoria, subsp. glutinosa is only known from near Inglewood[13] but subspecies passerinoides is more widely distributed but rare, in the north-west of that state.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Olearia passerinoides". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Lander, Nicholas S/. "Olearia passerinoides". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Olearia passerinoides". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b Walsh, Neville G.; Lander, Nicholas S. "Olearia passerinoides". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Diplopappus passerinoides". APNI. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  6. ^ Turczaninow, Nikolai (1851). "Synantherereae quaedam hucusque indescriptae". Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou. 24 (2): 62. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Olearia passerinoides". APNI. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  8. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 271. ISBN 9780958034180.
  9. ^ "Olearia passerinoides subsp. glutescens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Cooke, David A. (1985). "Studies in the Tribes Astereae and Inuleae (Compositae)" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 7 (3): 278. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Olearia passerinoides subsp. passerinoides". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Olearia passerinoides subsp. passerinoides". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  13. ^ Messina, Andre. "Olearia passerinoides subsp. glutescens". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  14. ^ Messina, Andre. "Olearia passerinoides subsp. passerinoides". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 24 June 2022.