Dusty Miller | |
---|---|
Prostrate form | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rhamnaceae |
Genus: | Spyridium |
Species: | S. parvifolium |
Binomial name | |
Spyridium parvifolium | |
Spyridium parvifolium, commonly known dusty miller, [2] is a flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae. It has dark green leaves and clusters of small, whitish flowers at the end of branches. It is widespread in eastern states of Australia.
Spyridium parvifolium is a low, spreading shrub to about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) high with smaller branches thickly covered in soft, long, rusty coloured hairs. The dull green leaves are obovate, elliptic or orb shaped, 4–18 mm (0.16–0.71 in) long, 3–13 mm (0.12–0.51 in) wide, and the apex rounded or notched. The upper surface usually veined, densely covered with long, erect, rigid hairs to densely covered with short, soft, upright hairs. The lower surface thickly covered with whitish star-shaped hairs, sometimes simple, rusty hairs over the veins, margins flat to curved under, occasionally scalloped. The leaves near the flowers are densely covered with white, short, matted hairs on the upper surface, stipules brown, 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) long, 3–13 mm (0.12–0.51 in) wide and with very fine hairs. The flowers are in small heads, whitish, woolly, and borne in leafy clusters in leaf axils at the end of branches. The flower clusters about 3 cm (1.2 in) wide and surrounded by cream-white floral leaves. Flowering occurs mainly in spring and the fruit about 3 mm (0.12 in) long. [2] [3]
Spyridium parvifolium was first formally described in 1862 by Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae . [4] [5] The specific epithet (parvifolium) means "small leaved". [6]
Dusty miller grows on the tablelands and slopes in New South Wales south of Burrinjuck Dam and on the coast south of Twofold Bay. It also grows in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. [7]
Spyridium parvifolium has a degree of frost and drought tolerance, and adapts well to most soils and positions with adequate drainage. A prostrate form with the cultivar name 'Austraflora Nimbus', spreads to 1 metre across and is suited to coastal gardens, rockeries and containers. [8]
Prostanthera phylicifolia, commonly known as spiked mint-bush, is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is an erect shrub with four-ridged branches, narrow egg-shaped to oval leaves and white or pale lilac-coloured flowers with purple and yellow spots.
Cassinia compacta is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with densely hairy stems, linear leaves and heads of yellow flowers arranged in dense corymbs.
Cassinia leptocephala is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a large, woody shrub with hairy, reddish stems, stiff linear leaves, and heads of pale yellow flowers arranged in a dense corymb.
Cassinia subtropica, commonly known as bushy rosemary, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is shrub with woolly-hairy stems, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves and panicles of flower heads.
Eremophila densifolia is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a low, spreading shrub with densely clustered leaves and lilac to purple flowers.
Grevillea sparsiflora, commonly known as sparse flowered grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with crowded, linear leaves and pinkish-red flowers arranged singly or in groups of up to five.
Quoya oldfieldii, commonly known as Oldfield's foxglove, is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with its branches and leaves densely covered with a layer of brownish hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped and the tube-shaped flowers are pink with purple spots inside.
Pityrodia loricata is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a dense, greyish, multi-stemmed shrub with whorled leaves, prominent sepals and pale, pinkish-white flowers. It is common in Western Australia and the Northern Territory and there is a single record from South Australia.
Hemiphora elderi, commonly known as red velvet, is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with its leaves densely covered with white, woolly hairs and with small clusters of reddish-purple, bell-shaped flowers.
Quoya loxocarpa is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is an open shrub with many spindly tangled branches. The leaves are oblong and woolly when young and the flowers are whitish pink with purple spots inside and are surrounded by woolly sepals.
Pityrodia hemigenioides is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with densely hairy branches and leaves, and pale white flowers near the ends of the branches.
Olearia iodochroa, commonly known as the violet daisy bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a shrub with branchlets densely covered with whitish hairs, narrowly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and white or mauve, and cream-coloured, yellow or blue, daisy-like inflorescences.
Pomaderris elachophylla, commonly known as lacy pomaderris, small leaf pomaderris or small-leaf dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender shrub with densely hairy branchlets, egg-shaped leaves, and cream-coloured flowers arranged singly or in clusters in leaf axils.
Spyridium daltonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Victoria in Australia. It is a shrub with softly-hairy branchlets, linear to narrowly elliptic leaves, and small groups of hairy, yellowish flowers.
Spyridium waterhousei is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is an erect, slightly sticky shrub with linear leaves and heads of hairy flowers with three brown bracts at the base.
Stenanthemum complicatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a woody, erect or straggling shrub with densely hairy young stems, broadly egg-shaped leaves and densely woolly-hairy heads of tube-shaped flowers.
Cryptandra longistaminea is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with many branches, egg-shaped or elliptic to linear leaves, and clusters of white, tube-shaped flowers.
Stenanthemum pumilum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a low, compact shrub with hairy young stems, egg-shaped leaves, sometimes with the narrower end towards the base, and clusters of 10 to 30 white to creamy-white, woolly hairy, tube-shaped flowers.
Commersonia magniflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to Australia. It is an erect shrub with wrinkled, narrowly oblong to elliptic or egg-shaped leaves, and deep pink flowers.
Solanum nemophilum, is a flowering plant in the family Solanaceae and grows in New South Wales and Queensland. It has purple flowers and is densely covered with star-shaped hairs.