Common name: Iron Weed, Fleabane, Purple Fleabane
Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob. APNI* Synonyms: Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. APNI*
Description: Erect annual herb to 1.25 m tall; internodes ribbed, pubescent to scabrid.
Leaves variable, linear-lanceolate to elliptic, ovate to obovate-spathulate, basal and lower leaves 1–8 cm long to 5 cm wide, sinuate-serrate to pinnatifid or almost entire; adaxially glandular-punctate, sparcely hairy and green; abaxially thinly to thickly pubescent or almost glabrous; uppermost leaves often sessile and much smaller.
Flowers in lax, terminal corymbs 2.5–5 mm diam.; peduncles 5–12 mm long; involucre cylindrico-campanulate 2.5–3.5 mm wide; bracts hirsute and glandular, oftern purplish-tipped; outer bracts subulate-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm long, acuminate; inner bracts narrowly lanceolate, 2.5–4 mm long, awn-tipped. Florets 15–20 per head, mauve, purple or lilac, corolla tube 3–5 mm long.
Achenes terete, with no ribs, to 2 mm long, densely setulose, glandular. Pappus in 2 rows, outer bristles subulate, inner bristles linear.
Distribution and occurrence: Distributed widely from tropical Africa to the Pacific. In Australia 4 varieties are recognised. Ghafoor, A. in Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.) (2015), Asteraceae Subfam. Cichorioideae Trib. 3. Vernonieae. Flora of Australia 37: 183-184 considered only one to be native to Australia, with the other 3 introduced native and 3 introduced. However, the introduced status of at least some of these varieties has been questioned. 3 varieties in NSW. K.L. Gibbons, 9 Dec. 2020
NSW subdivisions:
Text by Louisa Murray (Nov 2018)
Taxon concept: Flora of Australia Vol 37: 1 p183
| | Key to the varieties | |
| Leaves densely greyish villous-felted beneath, veins and veinlets bulging | var. lanatum |
| Leaves sparsely pubsecent beneath, veins and veinlets not bulging | 2 |
| 2 | Leaves remotely sinuate-serrate, or remotely irregularly toothed to more or less entire | var. cinereum |
| Leaves pinnatifid, with 3–6 mm long lobes
Back to 1 | var. pinnatifidum |
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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