Common name: Starfruit
Damasonium minus (R.Br.) Buchenau APNI* Synonyms: Actinocarpus minor R.Br. APNI*
Alisma minus (R.Br.) Spreng. APNI*
Damasonium australe Salisb. APNI*
Description: Erect, emergent annual or short-lived perennial to 1 m high with floating and/or emergent leaves.
Leaves with lamina lanceolate to ovate, 5–10 cm long, 1.5–4 cm wide, base obtuse to cordate, with 3–5 parallel veins connected by numerous finer transverse veins; petiole to c. 30 cm long.
Inflorescence to 50 cm long; bracts not persistent. Flowers c. 6 mm diam. Sepals c. 1 mm long, green. Petals ovate, c. 6 mm long, white or pink.
Follicles 5–6 mm long, 2-seeded, flattened, forming a star-shaped aggregate fruit 10–12 mm diam.; follicles eventually fall singly; seeds c. 1.5 mm long, partly transversely ridged and tuberculate.
Flowering: early summer.
Distribution and occurrence: widespread. Grows in shallow freshwater in a range of habitats.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, NT, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. W.A. S.A. N.T.
Text by S.W.L. Jacobs
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
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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