Edwards's Botanical Register/Appendix to the first twenty-three volumes/A sketch of the vegetation of the Swan River Colony/Compositae, or Asteraceae
Compositæ, or Asteraceæ.
The species of this order are numerous, and in some cases beautiful; a few of them are curious, but the greater part are neither the one nor the other. Gigantic thistles, eleven feet high, are mentioned by Frazer, but nothing corresponding to such plants has been seen by me. He also speaks of the barren sandy cliffs being in many places snow-white with the flowers of a Gnaphalium with procumbent stems, which is probably the Helichrysam Cotula, Benth. a genus of which there are many species; H. macranthum and bicolor, which are the handsomest, being already in cultivation. Nearly allied to these is Morna, a beautiful genus,
Rhodanthe, now so common, and several unpublished plants, of new genera, the more remarkable of which are the following; viz. Lawrencella rosea,94 a most beautiful annual, resembling Rhodanthe, but handsomer, and differing in the achænia being covered with long clavate glands, and in the pappus not being plumose; from the greater part of the allies of Rhodanthe it is distinguished by the pappus being in many rows; Xyridanthe,95 another genus near Rhodanthe, from which it differs in the pappus being paleaceous and plumose, not setose: the species are annuals of no beauty; and Pithocarpa,96 a very curious genus, of which there are two rather pretty species; it is near Humea in character, but entirely different in habit. To these has to be added Rhytidanthe and Ixiolæna, Benth., genera with which I am unacquainted.
(94) Lawrencella Helichryseæ), Capit. multiflorum homogamum. Involucrum hemisphæricum, imbricatum; squamis exterioribus herbaceis sphacelatis interioribus petaloideis radiantibus. Receptaculum planum nudum. Cor. 5-dentatæ. Antheræ ecaudatæ. Stigmata conica dorso glandulosa. Achasnia erostria, compressa, glandulosa. Pappus multiserialis, setosus, æqualis; setis serratis. Antheræ certe ecaudatæ et basi rotundatæ, sed fills quibusdam arachnoideis tenuissimis loco caudæ colligatæ.
Lawrencella rosea. Herba annua, glanduloso-subpubescens. Folia opposita et alterna, linearia, obtusa, indivisa. Pedunculi axillares et terminales, monocephali, lanati. Involucri squamæ ext. ovatæ, acutæ, margine lanatæ; interiores elongatæ, apice subdentatæ, amœnè roseæ.
(95) Xyridanthe (Helichryseæ). Capitulum multiflorum homogamum. Involucrum campanulatum, imbricatum; sq. ext. concavis rotundatis subscariosis, interioribus radiantibus apice appendice petaloidea auctis. Receptaculum planum nudum. Cor. 6-dentatæ. Antheræ pilis arachnoideis caudatæ. Stigmata truncata. Achænia erostria, lanata. Pappus paleaceus, biserialis, corolla longior; paleis plumosis.
Xyridanthe stricta. Herba annua, glaberrima. Folia alterna, oblongo-lanceolata, membranacea, sessilia. Rami stricti, monocephali, pedunculo omnino nudo. Capit. 2½ lin. longa, fusca, nitentia, Xyridis capitulum referentia; squamis oblongis obtusis, interioribus appendice brevi albâ radiante.
(96) Pithocarpa ((Helichryseæ). Capitulum multiflorum, homogamum. Receptaculum conicum nudum. Involucrum turbinatum, multiseriale, imbricatum; squamis exterioribus subulatis, intimis petaloideis radiantibus. Corolla tubulosa, 5-dentata. Antheræ lana tenui baseos cohærentes. Achænium erostre, oblongum, calvum, pubescens.
Pithocarpa pulchella. Sesquipedalis, herbacea, lanugine deciduâ tenui vestita. Caulis paniculatus parùm ramosus, quasi aphyllus: foliis lineari-lanceolatis sublanatis sessilibus, distantibus. Ramuli 2-3 poll. longi, monocephali, ascendentes, squamis parvis linearibus distantibus vestiti. Involucri basi sublanati squamæ exteriores purpureo apiculatæ, interiores candidæ, obtusæ.
(97) Pithocarpa corymbulosa; ramis elongatis apice corymbosis, involucri sublanati squamis exterioribus scariosis acutis.
Some genera with conglomerated capitula also occur, such as Cylindrosorus and Myriocephalus of Bentham, but they are of no beauty. Several Asteroideæ are found here, many of which belong to the inconspicuous genera Brachycome and Lagenophora; an Eurybia has also been described, and there is a genus nearly allied to Francœuria, the Asteridea pulverulenta,98 a plant of some beauty, with the appearance of an Aster Novæ Angliæ; it is not a little remarkable that with these there also occurs a plant of the genuine genus Aster,99 and of the Alpigenous section, with altogether its habit. The nearest approach to the vegetation of Cape Compositæ is met with here, in the case of Eriocladium pyramidatum,100 a plant related to Morysia, but very different in structure. There is even an imitation of the American Labiate Compositæ in the form of Amblysperma scapigera, Benth. a very handsome plant, with very large pale yellow or white flower-heads placed on a scape from a foot to a foot and half high; it is one of the finest plants of the order found on the continent of Australia.
(98) Asteridea. (Asteroideæ, Inuleæ). Capitulum hemisphæricum multiflorum radiatum; fl. radii ligulatis uniserialibus tridentatis fœmineis; fl. disci 5-dentatis apice glandulosis, hermaphroditis. Invol. imbricatum, squamis exterioribus subulatis, interioribus linearibus. Receptaculum planum, ebracteolatum, areolis elevatis. Antheræ basi setoso-appendiculatæ. Achænium erostre. Pappus setis uniserialibus, basi subscabris, apice barbellato-subplumosis, annulo nullo.
Asteridea pulverulenta. Herba erecta, ramosa, Asteris N. Angliæ facie, undique pilis mollibus ramentaceis pulverulenta. Caulis corymboso-paniculatus. Folia alterna, linearia, semiamplexicaulia, margine revoluta, utrinque, præcipuè subtùs scabriuscula. Squamæ involucri exteriores sub-squarrosæ, apice setaceæ glabræ, inferiùs glanduloso-pilosæ. Flosculi radii semunciam longi, verosimiliter albi.
(99) Aster exul (Alpigenus); caulescens, hispido-pilosus, foliis spathulatis obtusis imbricatis integerrimis dentatisque, pedunculis monocephalis foliis longioribus, involucri squamis linearibus acutis pilos articulates densè gerentibus, achæniis striatis pubescentibus.—Flowers appear to be purple.
(100) Eriocladium, (Athanasieæ). Capitulum multiflorum, homogamum. Invol. hemisphæricum, imbricatum, densè lanatum. Receptaculum conicum, paleis latis membranaceis apice appendiculatis florum longitudine onustum. Cor. 5-dentatæ, basi imâ glanduloso-pilosæ. Antheræ ecaudatæ. Stigmata truncata. Achænia erostria, calva, teretia, glabra.
Eriocladium pyramidatum. Tota lanugine densa alba vestita. Caulis pyramidatus, ramis rigidis ascendentibus 1-3-cephalis. Folia lineari-oblonga, sessila, alterna, internodiis paulò longiora. Capitula in fastigio ramulorum, inter folia sessilia. Discus flavus conicus.