Common name: Snow Aciphyll, Mountain Celery
Aciphylla glacialis (F.Muell.) Benth. APNI*
Description: Sprawling herb with robust rootstock, 30–70 cm high.
Leaves leathery, crowded at the plant base, 2–3-pinnate, fan-like; lamina ovate or elliptic in outline, 13–28 cm long including the 6–16 cm long sheathing base, segments linear, segments 20–40 mm long, apex acute with an aristate tip; basal sheath 10–20 mm wide.
Male inflorescence slender, spreading, the female more robust and contracted with thicker peduncles; 7–16 umbellules per umbel. Flowers 2.5–3 mm diam. Petals 1–1.5 mm long. Stamens often exceeding the petals in the male flowers, in female flowers stamens reduced and sterile.
Fruit 5.5–10.5 mm long, 2.0–2.8 mm wide.
Flowering: mainly January
Distribution and occurrence: Common in tall herbfield in alpine and upper subalpine tracts of the Australian Alps.
NSW subdivisions: ST
Other Australian states: Vic.
Text by J. M. Powell, except for genera with authors listed Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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