Olearia macdonnellensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to a restricted part of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with broadly elliptic to broadly egg-shaped leaves and yellow, or white and yellow, daisy-like inflorescences.
| Olearia macdonnellensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Olearia |
| Species: | O. macdonnellensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Olearia macdonnellensis | |
Description
editOlearia macdonnellensis is an erect, bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) and has angular stems and hairy young branchlets. Its leaves are arranged alternately along the branchlets, broadly elliptic to broadly egg-shaped, 17–27 mm (0.67–1.06 in) long and 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) wide on a petiole 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) long and with a few small teeth on the edges. The heads or daisy-like "flowers" are arranged in clusters of two to five on the ends of branchlets on a peduncle 7.5–24 mm (0.30–0.94 in) long, each head 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) wide with six to eight white or yellow ray florets, the ligule 7–11 mm (0.28–0.43 in) long, surrounding fifteen to twenty yellow disc florets. Flowering occurs from May to October and the fruit is a hairy achene, the pappus with 20 to 32 bristles.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy
editOlearia macdonnellensis was first formally described in 1986 by David Alan Cooke in the journal Muelleria from specimens collected by Peter Latz in 1983 near the "Ellery Creek Big Hole".[2][6]
Distribution and habitat
editThis daisy bush grows in low woodland on rocky scree slopes or gullies and is restricted to the western part of the MacDonnell Ranges in the south of the Northern Territory.[2][3][4][5][7]
Conservation status
editOlearia macdonnellensis is listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as "endangered" under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976. The main threats to the species are inappropriate fire regimes and weed invasion.[4][5][7]
References
edit- ^ "Olearia macdonnellensis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Cooke, David A. (1986). "Two new species of Olearia Moench (Compositae: Astereae) from central Australia". Muelleria. 6 (3&4): 181–182. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b Bean, Anthony R.; Jobson, Peter C. (2017). "Olearia bella A.R.Bean & Jobson and O. orientalis A.R.Bean & Jobson (Asteraceae: Astereae), two new species from Queensland". Austrobaileya. 10 (1): 109. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Olearia macdonnellensis". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Threatened species of the Northern Territory Pleasereadinoutline viewforbest navigational experience. Olearia macdonnellensis" (PDF). Northern Territory Government Department of Environment, Parks and Water Supply. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "Olearia macdonnellensis". APNI. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b "National Recovery Plant for Olearia macdonnellensis, Minuria tridens (Minnie Daisy) and Actinotus schwarzii (Desert Flannel-flower)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 21 May 2022.