Inflorescence terminal, heads solitary or in few-flowered corymbs, pedunculate; heads radiate; involucral bracts lanceolate to oblanceolate, herbaceous with scarious margins, imbricate; receptacle hemispherical to conical, naked. Ray florets female, in 1 row, ligulate, white to blue, mauve or pink; style branches without sterile terminal appendages. Disc florets tubular, 5-merous, bisexual, fertile, yellow; anthers obtuse at the base, often with apical appendages; style branches with papillose sterile terminal appendages.
Achenes all similar, terete to flattened, sometimes winged, glabrous to hairy or tuberculate. Pappus of bristles, sometimes fused, short to microscopic or absent.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Involucral bracts in 2 distinct rows, the outer row obviously shorter than the inner | Brachyscome decipiens |
| Involucral bracts appearing to be in 1 or c. 2 rows of about equal length or inner bracts shorter than the outer | 2 |
| 2 | Achenes with one or two swollen ridges on each lateral face, the ridges usually entirely swollen, but sometimes only apically swollen and if so the fruit brown or black, never grey or grey-purple; plants never rhizomatous or stoloniferous | 3 |
| Achenes with or without longitudinal ridges, but if present, then the ridges not swollen (but grey or grey-purple fruit may appear to be apically swollen), often the entire achene manifestly flattened; plants may be rhizomatous or stoloniferous
Back to 1 | 14 |
| 3 | Lateral faces of achenes each with a single, entirely or variably swollen, longitudinal ridge which may be winglike, the ridge entire or variously divided (toothed); leaf lobes usually oblong-linear or subterete | 4 |
| Lateral faces of achenes each with inversely u-shaped ridges, often the faces tuberculate, if the 2 ridges not obvious then the leaf lobes not oblong-linear or sub-terete and the cauline leaves manifestly dilated in c. the lower ¼–½
Back to 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Achenes curved, at least apically manifestly bent | 5 |
| Achenes straight
Back to 3 | 7 |
| 5 | Lateral margins of achenes with basal tufts of hairs | Brachyscome smithwhitei |
| Lateral margins of achenes without discrete basal tufts of hairs
Back to 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Lateral margins of achenes somewhat swollen and slightly dilating towards the apex, usually entire and with or without several transverse ridges in c. the lower half, rarely with 1 or 2 very shallow teeth | Brachyscome eriogona |
| Lateral margins of achenes with prominently lobed wings
Back to 5 | Brachyscome watanabei |
| 7 | Ray corollas 6–14 mm long, mostly more than 7 mm long; anthers c. 1–1.5 mm long; major branches mostly erect | Brachyscome dichromosomatica |
| Ray corollas 0.8–7.2 mm long, mostly less than 5.5 mm long; anthers c. 0.35–0.75 mm long; major branches mostly decumbent or ascending
Back to 4 | Brachyscome lineariloba |
| 8 | Achenes with ab/adaxial winglike margins | Brachyscome whitei |
| Achenes lacking abaxial or adaxial wing-like extensions
Back to 3 | 9 |
| 9 | Outermost achenes with a prominent crest, at least the lateral faces of the achenes with prominent tubercles | Brachyscome nodosa |
| Outermost fruit lacking a prominent crest, lateral faces with or without tubercles
Back to 8 | 10 |
| 10 | Leaves mostly entire and somewhat linear or mostly 1pinnatisect or a mixture of entire and divided leaves; achenes straight, the pappus centrally placed and the bristles spreading | Brachyscome readeri |
| Leaves never mostly entire, always mostly lobed to deeply divided (to 2-pinnatisect or rarely 3-pinnatilobed/pinnatisect); achenes barely straight to distinctly curved, the pappus usually appearing off centre and the bristles somewhat spreading or erect
Back to 9 | 11 |
| 11 | Leaves mostly 1-pinnatisect and the resulting lobes usually with 3 (–5) apical teeth or short lobes, basally not manifestly dilated; plants glabrous or almost so, scrambling; involucral bracts 4.5–7 mm long (Lord Howe Island) | Brachyscome segmentosa |
| Leaves variably divided and sometimes mostly 1-pinnatisect and toothed or lobed as above but at least some leaves on the plants manifestly dilating towards the base; plants glabrous to extremely hairy, usually erect and not scrambling or if at all so then the involucral bracts 6.5–10.5 mm long (eastern mainland, Bass Strait islands and Tasmania)
Back to 10 | 12 |
| 12 | Largest involucral bracts more than 6 mm long, outer surfaces with stalked glandular and/or septate eglandular hairs; achenes almost straight or slightly curved | Brachyscome diversifolia |
| Largest involucral bracts less than 5 mm long, outer surfaces glabrous or with a scattered or dense indumentum of stalked glandular hairs; achenes distinctly curved
Back to 11 | 13 |
| 13 | Achenes 1.1–2.2 mm long, red-brown or black; apically the longitudinal ridges usually broadening to form prominent shoulders | Brachyscome gracilis |
| Achenes 2.2–2.7 mm long, pale yellow-brown; apically the two longitudinal ridges on each surface often indistinct, appearing as one, and not forming prominent shoulders
Back to 12 | Brachyscome casstiana |
| 14 | Pappus an entire ring | Brachyscome paludicola |
| Pappus absent, or a jagged crown
Back to 2 | 15 |
| 15 | Ray corolla yellow (at least in bud) or if white then either, the majority of mature leaves terminally 3-lobed or the achenes with strongly curved abaxial or adaxial wings and lacking longitudinal ridges on the lateral faces [B. dentata group] | 16 |
| Ray corolla not yellow but white, bluish or pinkish; terminally 3-lobed leaves absent or in the minority; achenes lacking strongly curved abaxial or adaxial wings or if they are present then the lateral faces with longitudinal ridges
Back to 14 | 20 |
| 16 | Expanded ray corolla yellow when fresh | Brachyscome chrysoglossa |
| Expanded ray corolla white or mostly white when fresh, may dry yellow
Back to 15 | 17 |
| 17 | Achenes strongly curved | Brachyscome curvicarpa |
| Achenes flat or almost so
Back to 16 | 18 |
| 18 | Annual; leaves with long, coarse, eglandular, whitish, septate hairs; achenes with or without winglike margins | Brachyscome debilis |
| Perennial or annual; leaves if with eglandular hairs then the hairs cottony (but may have coarse bases); achenes always with wing-like margins
Back to 17 | 19 |
| 19 | Achene margins dissected; body of fruit covered with somewhat conical tubercles, rarely at all scale-like | Brachyscome dentata |
| Achene margins mostly entire; body of fruit densely covered with rows of flat, scale-like tubercles
Back to 18 | Brachyscome papillosa |
| 20 | Achenes manifestly compressed and with wing-like margins, uniformly coloured or colour gradually changing, lateral faces lacking longitudinal ridges, monomorphic; anthers with a well-developed terminal appendage | 21 |
| Achenes variously shaped and coloured and sometimes dimorphic, if compressed and with wing-like margins then the achenes discolorous (e.g. fruit body brown, winglike margins yellowish) or with longitudinal ridges or the terminal anther appendage absent or poorly developed
Back to 15 | 23 |
| 21 | Leaves mostly basal and persistent | Brachyscome spathulata |
| Leaves mostly cauline, basal ones usually not persistent
Back to 20 | 22 |
| 22 | Ray corolla blue; achene apically truncate or almost so | Brachyscome ascendens |
| Ray corolla white or white above and bluish beneath; achene with an apical notch
Back to 21 | Brachyscome aculeata |
| 23 | Achenes both flat and thin, with longitudinal ridges and with abaxial or adaxial wings, plants stoloniferous and scapiform (in alpine habitats above the tree line) or achenes as stated but the wings inflated and plants creeping (in non-alpine marshy habitats | 24 |
| Achenes not both flat and thin, lacking longitudinal ridges and adaxial or abaxial wings, or if with longitudinal ridges and adaxial or abaxial wings then wings not inflated and plants non-alpine (but may occur in temperate upland forest)
Back to 20 | 28 |
| 24 | Abaxial or adaxial margins of achenes an inflated wing | Brachyscome radicans |
| Abaxial or adaxial margins of achenes a thin wing
Back to 23 | 25 |
| 25 | Leaves entire or mostly so | 26 |
| Leaves all or mostly toothed or lobed
Back to 24 | Brachyscome nivalis |
| 26 | Peduncles with stalked glandular hairs | Brachyscome barkerae |
| Peduncles glabrous
Back to 25 | 27 |
| 27 | Peduncles 1–7 cm long, ebracteate or with a single (?2) bract(s); achenes not or barely winged | Brachyscome stolonifera |
| Peduncles 7–22 cm long, usually with more than one bract (up to 7); wings of achene 0.5–0.7 mm wide
Back to 26 | Brachyscome tadgellii |
| 28 | Annual herbs; cypselas ovoid, subovoid or clubshaped, often greyish or with shades of purpleblack but never manifestly discolorous, lateral faces commonly concave, lacking both longitudinal ridges and wings or winglike margins | Brachyscome exilis |
| Perennial or annual herbs, if annual then the cypselas with wings or winglike margins or the cypselas black or discolorous and/or prominently tuberculate
Back to 23 | 29 |
| 29 | Achenes with prominently curved wings or wing-like abaxial or adaxial margins and with longitudinal ridges on the lateral faces | 30 |
| Achenes lacking curved wings or winglike margins or if present then the lateral faces lacking longitudinal ridges
Back to 28 | 31 |
| 30 | Leaves entire or mostly so, sometimes a few with several short, linear, irregularly placed lobes; achenes more or less uniformly brown throughout, the wings strongly curved | Brachyscome muelleroides |
| Leaves in at least large plants with mostly pinnatisect leaves with 4–11 narrowly elliptic or linear lobes; achenes discolorous, body dark brown, wings almost flat to manifestly curved and yellow-brown
Back to 29 | Brachyscome ptychocarpa |
| 31 | Achenes lacking eglandular hairs or with a few straight hairs; achenes concolorous and lacking longitudinal ridges [Paquerina group] | 32 |
| Achenes with curved or apically curled eglandular hairs, if straight and apically bifid then the achenes with longitudinal ridges; achenes concolorous or discolorous
Back to 29 | 36 |
| 32 | Most or all leaves entire | 33 |
| Most or all of the largest leaves at least partly toothed or lobed (smaller upper leaves on scapes may be entire)
Back to 31 | 35 |
| 33 | Achenes somewhat inflated, particularly on the margins and with conspicuous glandular hairs and commonly sticky | Brachyscome graminea |
| Achenes neither inflated or sticky
Back to 32 | 34 |
| 34 | Leaves linear or linear-oblanceolate, 1–2.5 mm wide; scapes each with (2) 3–9 leaflike bracts; pappus a crown of scalelike bristles 0.1–0.3 mm long; remains of old leaves usually not retained at base of plant | Brachyscome obovata |
| Leaves oblanceolate or subspathulate, largest leaves 4–12 mm wide; scapes each usually with 0–3 leaflike bracts, rarely more; pappus a crown of scalelike bristles barely 0.1 mm high; remains of old leaves retained at base of plant
Back to 33 | Brachyscome scapigera |
| 35 | Scapes with 3–16 oblanceolate, entire or pinnatilobed leaves | Brachyscome foliosa |
| Scapes with or without 1 or 2 entire, linear leaves
Back to 32 | Brachyscome staceae |
| 36 | Mature achenes commonly black or sometimes very dark brown, concolorous; lateral faces manifestly tuberculate and lacking longitudinal ridges or if ridges present then plants only with leaves in a basal tuft; achenes never dimorphic | 37 |
| Mature achenes shades of brown and commonly pale brown, sometimes markedly discolorous; lateral faces with or without tubercles, longitudinal ridges present or absent; achenes sometimes dimorphic
Back to 31 | 46 |
| 37 | Perennials with a tufted mode of growth, all leaves basal; achenes winged or unwinged, with longitudinal ridges | 38 |
| Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, leaves basal and cauline; achenes unwinged, with or (usually) without longitudinal ridges
Back to 36 | 39 |
| 38 | Achenes with a distinct wing with eglandular, straight to apically curling hairs along their length; pappus distinct; leaves entire or 1-pinnatifid; bracts frequently with purplish apices and margins; at least sometimes the apical appendages of the anthers not or poorly developed and less than c. 0.1 mm long and the style appendages c. 0.5 mm long | Brachyscome dissectifolia |
| Achenes unwinged or nearly so, ab/adaxial margins smooth or with several barely formed tubercles, glabrous or with occasional short hairs; pappus usually very short; leaves mostly 1or 2pinnatifid; bracts usually with whitish apices and margins; apical appendages of the anthers seemingly always prominent and c. 0.3 mm long and the style appendages c. 0.25 mm and apically somewhat blunt
Back to 37 | Brachyscome stuartii |
| 39 | Achenes with longitudinal ridges; annual, glandular hairy herb | Brachyscome microcarpa |
| Achenes lacking longitudinal ridges; annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs with or without stalked glandular hairs
Back to 37 | 40 |
| 40 | Perennial herb or subshrub with somewhat woody base, mostly glabrous or with only glandular hairs; leaves linear and entire or with linear lobes or the lamina wide and variously dissected, being 1-or 2-pinnatifid; bract surface glabrous, glandular hairs restricted to margins | Brachyscome multifida |
| Perennial or annual herbs, never a woody based subshrub, hairs glandular or eglandular, leaves variously dissected but the teeth or lobes rarely extending more than c. ½ way to the midrib and only rarely with secondary teeth, the lobes never linear or leaves deeply divided and mostly trisect; bract surfaces glabrous or more commonly with a scattered to dense indumentum of hairs
Back to 39 | 41 |
| 41 | Herb with a general indumentum of septate, uniseriate eglandular hairs to 0.6 mm long and stalked glandular hairs; pappus readily discernable, individual elements c. 0.1–1.1 mm long (arid and semiarid regions, commonly on clay dominated soils on floodplains) | Brachyscome melanocarpa |
| Herbs with a scattered to dense general indumentum of stalked glandular hairs, eglandular septate hairs absent or if appearing to be present then in a mix of hairs of manifestly different lengths; pappus elements less than 0.1 mm long and/or uppermost leaves opposite
Back to 40 | 42 |
| 42 | Leaves mainly of 3, rarely 5, primary lobes terminating petiole-like stalks c. 5–30 mm long, primary lobes 2.5–12 mm long, 1.5–16 mm wide, formed by divisions extending to about the midrib, major lobes in turn trisect and these often 3-toothed | Brachyscome trisecta |
| Leaves not as above
Back to 41 | 43 |
| 43 | Uppermost leaves paired | Brachyscome microcarpa |
| Uppermost leaves alternate
Back to 42 | 44 |
| 44 | Pappus a crown, individual elements 0.2–0.4 mm long; bracts with or without scattered hairs (branches weakly ascending, leaves thin and not rigid; south-eastern N.S.W.) | Brachyscome abercrombiensis |
| Pappus absent or at least a very short crown, the elements less than 0.1 mm long; bracts often with numerous hairs (branches and leaves comparatively rigid; north-eastern N.S.W. and south-eastern Qld)
Back to 43 | 45 |
| 45 | General indumentum occasionally sparse but mostly dense, the stalked glandular hairs c. 0.06–0.88 mm long, the hairs barely to manifestly tapering to their minute glandular tip, sometimes the longest hairs possibly eglandular, usually the hairs in an obvious mix of lengths and with the longest hairs often conspicuously longer than the rest; achenes not somewhat swollen, eglandular biseriate hairs absent or scattered and seemingly straight and c. 0.05 mm long | Brachyscome nova-anglica |
| General indumentum of shortly stalked glandular hairs 0.04–0.12 mm long but grading in length; achenes somewhat swollen, eglandular biseriate hairs c. 0.05–0.08 mm long and apically curled
Back to 44 | Brachyscome tamworthensis |
| 46 | Achenes mono- or dimorphic, lacking longitudinal ridges on the lateral; terminal anther appendages distinct in some species but absent or poorly developed in others | 47 |
| Achenes monomorphic, with longitudinal ridges on the lateral faces; terminal anther appendages present
Back to 36 | 51 |
| 47 | Achenes monomorphic | 48 |
| Achenes dimorphic
Back to 46 | Brachyscome ciliaris |
| 48 | Achenes manifestly flattened, thin and with winglike extensions | 49 |
| Achenes somewhat flattened but never with winglike extensions but the ab/adaxial margins may be thick and pronounced and often paler than the fruit body
Back to 47 | 50 |
| 49 | Perennial herb or subshrubs | Brachyscome rigidula |
| Annual herb
Back to 48 | Brachyscome perpusilla |
| 50 | Achenes with their lateral surfaces tuberculate | Brachyscome trachycarpa |
| Achenes with their lateral surfaces non-tuberculate (but eglandular hairs may be conspicuous)
Back to 48 | Brachyscome dalbyensis |
| 51 | Largest lower and mid-cauline leaves not tapering towards a petiole like base but manifestly sessile and often subamplexicaul, their apices usually truncate and 3denate, the teeth small and of about equal size, the leaves usually otherwise entire but sometimes 1 or both margins with 1 or 2 additional narrow lateral teeth or lobes present | Brachyscome mittagongensis |
| Largest lower and mid-cauline leaves commonly tapering basally and forming a petiole-like base; if not forming a petiole-like base then their apices not both truncate and 3dentate although they may be apically 3lobed, but if 3lobed then either additional marginal lobes present on at least some leaves or most leaves entire
Back to 46 | 52 |
| 52 | Basal and cauline leaves mostly entire, sublinear to linear oblanceolate or linear spathulate and frequently and markedly contracting to a petiole like base, rarely 1–several leaves with 1–5 lobes; ab/adaxial margins of achene with narrow but definite wings 0.1–0.4 mm wide | Brachyscome triloba |
| Basal to mid-cauline leaves all, or mostly all, with teeth or lobes, or if most or all basal and mid-cauline leaves entire (at least as in some plants of B. kaputarensis) the leaves somewhat linear or linear oblanceolate and lacking a distinctive contraction to form a petiole-like base and the achenes lacking ab/ adaxial wings
Back to 51 | 53 |
| 53 | Achenes with the ab/adaxial margins bearing wings, the wings divided or entire and with eglandular hairs along their length | 54 |
| Achenes with the abaxial or adaxial margins lacking wings but the margins may have tubercles (includes B. willisii in which the prominent tuberculate margins may be interpreted as wings)
Back to 52 | 56 |
| 54 | Achene body smooth or with inconspicuous tubercles, brown or dark greenish brown or greenish black and darker than the wings, the longitudinal ridges on the lateral surfaces often poorly developed; achene wings 0.2–0.8 mm wide, entire or notched | Brachyscome procumbens |
| Achene body with well-developed tubercles, yellow-brown or brown and apically sometimes purplish but not manifestly darker than the wings, the longitudinal ridges on the lateral surfaces distinct and sometimes flangelike; achene wings barely 0.1 mm wide or up to 0.5 mm wide
Back to 53 | 55 |
| 55 | Leaves with 1–5, usually apically acute lobes, most often with only 3 apical lobes of which the terminal lobe is usually manifestly larger than the lateral lobes | Brachyscome triloba |
| Leaves sometimes trifid but mostly with a total of 5–14 teeth or lobes
Back to 54 | Brachyscome salkiniae |
| 56 | Mid to upper cauline leaves entire and somewhat linear or linear oblanceolate or with 1–6 lateral lobes, the divisions extending more than ½ way and sometimes almost reaching the midrib and the terminal lobes somewhat linear; branches and leaves lacking eglandular hairs | Brachyscome kaputarensis |
| Mid to upper cauline leaves shallowly lobed or at least the lobes never long and somewhat linear; branches and leaves with or without eglandular hairs
Back to 53 | 57 |
| 57 | Leaves only sometimes with a petiole-like base, sometimes subamplexicaule, at least in the larger leaves the segments present along most of the length of the leaf (Victoria) | Brachyscome petrophila |
| Leaves commonly with a petiole like base, lateral segments usually in the distal ½ of the leaf (but distal ¾ in B. sieberi from NSW)
Back to 56 | 58 |
| 58 | Whitish, septate eglandular hairs absent from branches and leaves | 59 |
| Whitish, septate eglandular hairs on branches and leaves (may be sparse on mature parts)
Back to 57 | 60 |
| 59 | Stalked glandular hairs usually forming a prominent indumentum beneath the capitula; mid-cauline leaves entire or with 6 or fewer segments | Brachyscome brownii |
| Stalked glandular hairs absent or only occasional throughout the plant; mid-cauline leaves with 5–19 segments
Back to 58 | Brachyscome formosa |
| 60 | Mid-cauline and upper leaves often apically 3-lobed but up to 9 marginal lobes formed from divisions extending to c. ½ the distance to the midrib, lobes entire and apically acute | Brachyscome sieberi |
| Mid-cauline and upper leaves with 3–11 primary marginal lobes formed from divisions extending c. ¼ to ⅞ the distance to the midrib, the resultant lobes obtuse to acute and each often with 1 or 2 lateral teeth
Back to 58 | Brachyscome willisii |
