Calotis dentex commonly known as white burr-daisy,[2] is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a small shrub with white daisy like flowers and grows in New South Wales and Queensland.

White burr-daisy
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Calotis
Species:
C. dentex
Binomial name
Calotis dentex

Description

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Calotis dentex is an upright, perennial, multi-branched, understory shrub to 80 cm (31 in) high with smooth or slightly hairy, brown stems. The cauline leaves are lance to oblong-shaped, 2–9 cm (0.79–3.54 in) long, 4–11 mm (0.16–0.43 in) wide, margins variable, lobed, toothed, sometimes entire, sessile and with occasional hairs. The white, occasionally mauve flowers are borne on stalks up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long, 7–13 mm (0.28–0.51 in) in diameter, either singly or in a loose cyme from leaf axils and a yellow central disc 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) in diameter. Flowering occurs from October to April and the fruit is a flattened, reddish brown cypsela with several spines 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

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Calotis dentex was first formally described in 1820 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Consisting of Coloured Figures of Exotic Plants, Cultivated in British Gardens; with their History and Mode of Treatmentand the type specimen was collected at Sydney by Robert Brown. The specific epithet "dentex" refers to the toothed edges of the leaves.[4][5]

Distribution and habitat

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White burr-daisy grows mostly on clay soils in grasslands and open forests in New South Wales and Queensland.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Calotis dentex". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Fairley, Alan; Moore, Philip (2010). Native Plants of the Sydney Region. Jacana Books. p. 446. ISBN 978-1-74175-571-8.
  3. ^ Everett, J. "Calotis dentex". PlantNET-NSW Flora online. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Calotis dentex". Vascular Plants Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  5. ^ Les Robinson - Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, ISBN 978-0-7318-1211-0 page 132