| Milkwort | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Polygalaceae |
| Genus: | Comesperma |
| Species: | C. retusum |
| Binomial name | |
| Comesperma retusum | |
Comesperma retusum, commonly known as milkwort, [2] is a slender herb in the family Polygalaceae. It is an upright shrub with purple or mauve-pink pea-like flowers and grows in eastern Australia.
Comesperma retusum is a small, upright, leafy shrub to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) high and sparsely branched with more or less, pinkish warty stems. The leaves are elliptic to oblong-shaped, thick, 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide and blunt or with a small point at the apex. The flowers are in a terminal raceme up to 1 cm (0.39 in) long, occasionally on short branches near the end of stems and the pedicels 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long. The purple or mauve-pink flowers are pea-like, 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, outer sepals free, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long, wing sepals usually 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and the lateral petals equal in length as the yellow-tipped keel. Flowering occurs from November to January and the fruit is a flattened, elongated capsule 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) long. [2] [3] [4]
Comesperma retusum was first formally described in 1806 by Jacques Labillardière and the description was published in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen . [5] [6] The specific epithet (retusum) refers to the leaf apex. [7]
Milkwort grows in bogs and swamps in montane, subalpine locations and occasionally coastal swamps in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. [2] [4]
Comesperma is a genus of shrubs, herbs and lianas in the family Polygalaceae. The genus is endemic to Australia. It was defined by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière in his 1806 work Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek words come ("hair") and sperma ("seed"), and relates to the seeds bearing tufts of hair. The genus is distributed over southern Australia, particularly in the southwest of Western Australia, where 19 species are found. 24 species have been described.
Olearia ramulosa, commonly known as twiggy daisy-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with narrowly elliptic, linear or narrowly egg-shaped leaves, and pale blue, mauve or white and yellow, daisy-like inflorescences.
Olearia phlogopappa commonly known as the dusty daisy-bush or alpine daisy-bush is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is commonly found in eastern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. It is a small shrub with greyish-green foliage, daisy-like flowers in white, pink or mauve that can be seen from spring to late summer.
Comesperma volubile, commonly known as love creeper, is a slender climber in the family Polygalaceae. It is a twining plant with linear leaves and pea-like blue flowers.
Melaleuca squamea, commonly known as swamp honey-myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to south eastern parts of Australia, especially Tasmania. It is an erect shrub growing in damp and swampy places with crowded leaves and many heads of pink to purple flowers in spring.
Pultenaea juniperina, commonly known as prickly bush-pea or prickly beauty is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect, spiky shrub with hairy stems, linear to narrow elliptic leaves with stipules at the base, and yellow-orange and red flowers.
Stackhousia monogyna, commonly known as creamy stackhousia or creamy candles,is a flowering plant in the family Celastraceae. It is a small multi-stemmed plant with narrow leaves and terminal spikes of white, cream or yellow flowers. It is a widespread species found in all states of Australia but not the Northern Territory.
Platysace lanceolata, commonly known as shrubby platysace, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is small, upright shrub with variable shaped leaves and white flowers.
Pomaderris elliptica, commonly known as yellow dogwood or smooth pomaderris, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with densely hairy branchlets, egg-shaped or elliptic leaves, and pale yellow flowerss.
Olearia myrsinoides, commonly known as silky daisy-bush or blush daisy bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a spreading shrub with hairy branchlets, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves with toothed edges, and white and yellow or mauve, daisy-like inflorescences.
Pimelea drupacea, commonly known as cherry rice-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with elliptic leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and head-like clusters of white, tube-shaped flowers surrounded by two or four leaves.
Pimelea nivea is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect shrub with densely hairy young stems, elliptic to round leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and compact clusters of white or cream-coloured flowers.
Comesperma virgatum, commonly known as milkwort, is a herb in the family Polygalaceae. It is an erect slender herb growing to between 30 cm and 1.6 m high, on sandy and lateritic soils, and sometimes in swampy conditions. Its pink to purple flowers may be seen from September to December or January to March.
Hibbertia acicularis, commonly known as prickly guinea-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect or prostrate shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves and yellow flowers arranged singly in leaf axils with the six to eight stamens joined at the base, in a single cluster.
Pultenaea dentata, commonly known as clustered bush-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect to low-lying or prostrate, open shrub with elliptic to narrow egg-shaped leaves and dense clusters of yellow, red and purple flowers.
Hibbertia procumbens, commonly known as spreading guinea flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a prostrate, often mat-forming shrub with more or less glabrous stems, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and yellow flowers with eighteen to twenty-five stamens arranged in groups around usually four glabrous carpels.
Olearia glandulosa, commonly known as swamp daisy-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender, erect, glabrous shrub with sticky, narrowly linear leaves and white or pale blue and yellow, daisy-like inflorescences.
Leucopogon collinus, commonly known as fringed beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender, erect or spreading shrub with narrowly lance-shaped leaves, and white, tube-shaped, bearded flowers.
Olearia stellulata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with lance-shaped or narrowly elliptic leaves, and white and yellow or mauve, daisy-like inflorescences.
Pimelea clavata is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas and offshore islands of southern Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrowly elliptic to more or less linear leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and head-like clusters of white to pale yellow, tube-shaped flowers surrounded by leaf-like involucral bracts.