Brachyscome willisii P.S.Short APNI* Description: Perennial rhizomatous herb, weakly ascending to erect, major branches to c. 25 cm long, with a sparse to conspicuous vestiture of whitish eglandular and glandular septate hairs.
Leaves cauline or mostly in a near-basal rosette, obovate to oblanceolate or spathulate in outline, 20–70 mm long, 8–20 mm wide, at least the basal leaves usually with petiole-like bases. Leaves green and with sparse to dense septate eglandular and glandular hairs; all leaves with 3–11 primary divisions extending c. 1/4 to 7/8 the distance to the midrib and 3–25 ultimate segments.
Flowerheads c. 5–8 mm diam., on scapes usually manifestly exceeding the uppermost leaves but sometimes at flowering about the length of the upper leaf. Involucral bracts 15–25 in 1 row and similar length of 3.3–5.2 mm long, herbaceous with narrow often purplish margins. Ray florets 18–35; corolla 6.7–7.5 mm long, white or variously described as lilac, mauve, purplish or pink, disc florets c. 40.
Achenes flat, straight or slightly curved along their length, 2.1–2.4 mm long, pale brown. Pappus an uneven crown of c. 10–15 white, smooth bristles which are barely united in a basal ring.
Flowering: Flowers from September to November.
Distribution and occurrence: From about Orange in New South Wales south along the Great Dividing Range, through the Australian Capital Territory, to the lower hills of the Omeo district in Victoria, and in that State, as far west as the Wangaratta area, including the Killawara Forest. Grows in eucalypt woodland and forest, often with a grassy understorey. Dominant trees include Eucalyptus bridgesiana, E. dalrympleana, E. dives, E. goniocalyx, E. macrorhyncha, E. mannifera, E. pauciflora and E. rubida.
NSW subdivisions: CT, ST, SWS
Other Australian states: Vic.
Named after renowned Victorian botanist, Dr James Hamlyn Willis (1910–1995).
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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