Commersonia breviseta C.F.Wilkins & L.M.Copel. APNI* Description: Shrub, erect or decumbent, 1–3 m high.
Mature leaves strongly discolorous, mainly narrowly-elliptic or ovate, 8–24 mm long, 1.5–7.5 mm wide; margins irregularly toothed, recurved; apex rounded-acute or obtuse; lower surface with dense to tomentose white, or white with tan-centred, sessile, stellate hairs above dense smaller, white, sellate hairs, and with or without occasional pink, clavate, glandular trichomes on midrib; upper surface slightly rugose, with dense, white, sessile, stellate hairs, above smaller hairs and medium density orange-red tipped glands; juvenile leaves conspicuously tri-lobed, 45–110 mm long, 20–83 mm wide; petiole 1–6 mm long.
A leaf-opposed cyme, 8–35 mm long, flowers 4–16. Calyx 3.4–6.3 mm long. Petals 2.3–3.4 mm long and 1.7–2.7 mm wide, pinkish. Staminodes five, one inserted between each stamen, anther filaments mainly glabrous.
Capsule 4.3–5.5 mm diam., with scattered to moderately dense, white, stellate hairs and with or without intermixed, scattered, clavate, glandular trichomes beneath scattered to moderately dense bristles towards the upper half of the fruit, 0.5–0.9 mm long; shaft with scattered stellate hairs and/or red, clavate glandular trichomes; apical hair with erect and horizontal arms. .
Flowering: Flowers have been observed from September to November.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread in eastern Australia ranging from Giraween National Park in far southern Queensland to Genoa in far north-eastern Victoria. Most populations occur along the Great Dividing Range although some collections are recorded from coastal areas at lower elevations. Occurs in rocky areas with shallow soils, on a wide range of rock types, in heath or shrubby woodland.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT
Other Australian states: Qld Vic.
Appears to be an obligate seeder that is killed by fire but germinates in abundance shortly thereafter. Similar to C. hermanniifolia, which is prostrate to decumbent, has hairy fruit with bristles throughout, and stiff leaves. Also resembles C. dasyphylla, which has near-glabrous fruit with setae >2mm long.
Text by Louisa Murray; modified S.F. McCune (2019)
Taxon concept: Telopea 12 (1): 2008, pages 65-66.
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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