Leucophyta is a plant genus which is endemic to Australia. The genus was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1818.[3]
| Leucophyta | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leucophyta brownii, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria | |
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| |
| Leucophyta brownii, Gippsland, Victoria | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Subfamily: | Asteroideae |
| Tribe: | Gnaphalieae |
| Genus: | Leucophyta R.Br.[3] |
| Species: | L. brownii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucophyta brownii | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Calocephalus brownii (Cass.) F.Muell. | |
The sole species in the genus is Leucophyta brownii, also known as cushion bush.[4] In 1891, German botanist Otto Kuntze assigned a number of species to this genus in his publication Revisio Generum Plantarum but none of his name combinations have currency, those species being presently divided between the genera Balladonia, Blennospora, Calocephalus and Gnephosis.[5][6]
Leucophyta brownii is a small, rounded shrub with tangled tomentose branchlets that give it a silvery appearance.[7] Although it can grow up to a metre high, it is more usually 0.2 to 0.7 metres high.[8] It produces flowers during summer (December to February in Australia), which are white-yellow globular heads and about 1 cm in diameter.[9]
The species is common in cultivation in Australia, with a selected dwarf form from Tasmania, known by the cultivar name 'Silver Nugget', also grown.[10]
Habitat
editLeucophyta brownii is found in coastal environments. It commonly occurs on the exposed faces of cliffs and dunes on the south coast of Australia.[7][9] It is highly tolerant of prevailing winds, sea spray, drought and frost, and grows on predominantly sand or sandstone derived soil. Further, the soil can be highly alkaline when sand is composed of calcium carbonate. It grows most successfully in full sun.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Leucophyta brownii Cass". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- ^ Cassini, A.H.G. de in Cuvier, F. (ed.) (1823) Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles Edn. 2, 26: 159.
- ^ a b Brown, R. (1818) Observations on the Natural Family of Plants called Compositae. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 12: 106.
- ^ VicFlora: Leucophyta based on Short, P.S. (1999) Leucophyta. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae. Inkata Press, Melbourne
- ^ "Leucophyta". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "Balladonia P.S.Short". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ a b Costermans, L. (1981). Native Trees and Shrubs of South-eastern Australia. Australia: Rigby. ISBN 072701403X.
- ^ VicFlora: Leucophyta brownii based on Short, P.S. (1999) Leucophyta. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae. Inkata Press, Melbourne
- ^ a b FloraBase – The Western Australian Flora: Leucophyta brownii Cass.
- ^ Burke's Backyard: Silver Nugget
- ^ Spencer, Robert (2002). Horticultural Flora of South-Eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press. ISBN 0868406848.
External links
edit- Leucophyta brownii occurrence data from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
Media related to Calocephalus brownii at Wikimedia Commons
