Gnephosis tenuissima

Dwarf cup flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Gnephosis
Species:	G. tenuissima
Binomial name
Gnephosis tenuissima Cass. [1]
Synonyms [1]
List Angianthus pusillus(Benth.) Benth. Angianthus pusillus var. polyanthusBenth. Angianthus pusillus(Benth.) Benth. var. pusillus Chrysocoryne angianthoidesF.Muell. Chrysocoryne huegelii B.D.Jacks. orth. var. Chrysocoryne hugelii A.Gray nom. illeg. Chrysocoryne pusilla(Benth.) Endl. Crossolepis pusillaBenth. Gnephosis tenuissimaCass. isonym Podolepis divaricata DC. nom. inval., pro syn. Siloxerus pusillus(Benth.) Ising pro syn. Styloncerus pusillus(Benth.) Kuntzepro

Habit in Gundabooka National Park

Gnephosis tenuissima, commonly known as dwarf cup flower, ^[2] is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to Australia. It is an annual herb with more or less erect branches, linear or narrowly elliptic leaves, compound heads of 20 to 80 yellow flowers, and oval, purplish cypselas.

Description

Gnephosis tenuissima is an annual herb with scale like glandular hairs, and that typically grows to a height of 3–10 cm (1.2–3.9 in) high. Its leaves are linear to egg-shaped or lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, about 10 mm (0.39 in) long and about 3 mm (0.12 in) wide. The pseudanthia are arranged in variably shaped compound heads of 20 to 80, 10–22 mm (0.39–0.87 in) high and 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) in diameter with four to ten rows of bracts. The petals are yellow, forming a tube with 5 lobes, and there are 5 stamens. The fruit is an oval, purplish cypsela, 0.35–0.50 mm (0.014–0.020 in) long, and the pappus is usually a jagged ring 0.1–0.2 mm (0.0039–0.0079 in) high. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Taxonomy and naming

Gnephosis tenuissima was first formally described in 1820 by Henri Cassini in the Bulletin des Sciences par la Societe Philomatique de Paris 1820 from specimens collected in "la baie des Chiens-Marins" in Port Jackson. ^{[7] [8]} The specific epithet (tenuissima) means 'thinnest' or 'most delicate', referring to the plant. ^[9]

Distribution and habitat

Dwarf cup flower is widely distributed in Western Australia, ^[6] South Australia, ^[10] the Northern Territory, ^[2] the western slopes and plains of New South Wales west of Warialda, ^[4] and Queensland, but is rare in Victoria where it is confined to the far north-west of that state. ^[5] It grows in a variety of soils, although often in saline soils. ^[4]

Conservation status

Gnephosis tenuissima is listed as "endangered" under the Victorian Government Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 . ^[5]

References

1. "Gnephosis tenuissima". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
2. "Gnephosis tenuissima". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
3. Short, Philip Sydney (2016). "Notes concerning the classification of species included in Calocephalus R.Br. s.lat. and Gnephosis Cass. s.lat. (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae), with descriptions of new genera and species". Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 29: 192–193. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
4. Brown, E.A. "Gnephosis tenuissima". PlantNET-NSW Flora online. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
5. Short, Phjilip Sydney. "Gnephosis tenuissima". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
6. "Gnephosis tenuissima". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
7. "Gnephosis tenuissima". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
8. Cassini, Henri (1820). "Description d'un nouveau genre de plantes (Gnephosis)". Bulletin des Sciences par la Société Philomatique de Paris. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
9. George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 321. ISBN   9780958034197.
10. "Gnephosis tenuissima". seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2025.