Vittadinia cuneata

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Fuzzy New Holland daisy
Vittadinia cuneata var cuneata head5 QNR - Flickr - Macleay Grass Man.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Vittadinia
Species:
V. cuneata
Binomial name
Vittadinia cuneata

Vittadinia cuneata commonly known as fuzzy New Holland daisy, [2] it is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is an upright perennial with variable leaves, blue or mauve flowers and grows in all mainland states of Australia and Tasmania.

Contents

Description

Vittadinia cuneata is an upright annual or perennial, 10–40 cm (3.9–15.7 in) high, stiff stems and more or less covered in glandular, coarse, rough hairs. Leaves are variable in colour, sometimes green or grey-green, wedge-shaped, occasionally with lobes, 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) wide. Flower petals are pale blue or mauve with a yellow central disk. Flowering occurs from spring to autumn and the fruit is a bristly, ridged achene, 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long. Three varieties are recognized: var. cuneata, var. hirsuta and var. morrisii. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Vittadinia cuneata was first formally described in 1836 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle and the description was published in Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis . The type specimen was collected in 1817 by Allan Cunningham on the banks of the Lachlan River. [5] [6] The specific epithet (cuneata) means 'wedge-shaped'. [7]

Distribution and habitat

Fuzzy New Holland daisy is a widespread species and grows in a variety of different habitats including sand, clay and limestone in woodland and mallee in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. [2] [4] [8]

References

  1. "Vittadinia cuneata". Australia Plant Census. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Vittadinia cuneata". VICFLORA-Flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  3. Sharp, Sarah; Rehwinkel, Rainer; Mallinson, Dave; Eddy, David (2015). Woodland Flora a Field Guide for the Southern Tableland (NSW & ACT). Canberra: Horizons Print Management. ISBN   9780994495808.
  4. 1 2 Scott, J.; Everett, J. "Vittadinia cuneata". PlantNET-NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  5. "Vittadinia cuneata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  6. de Candolle, Augustin (1817). Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis (5 ed.). Paris. p. 281. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  7. George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 179. ISBN   9780958034197.
  8. "Vittadinia cuneata". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved 30 July 2025.