Gnephosis arachnoidea
| Gnephosis arachnoidea | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Gnephosis |
| Species: | G. arachnoidea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gnephosis arachnoidea | |
Gnephosis arachnoides, commonly known as erect yellow-heads[2] or cobwebby-headed gnephosis,[3] is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to Australia. It has greenish-yellow flower heads at the ends of stems.
Description
Gnephosis arachnoides is an annual herb with upright, slender, woolly stems becoming smooth with age and typically 5–30 cm (2.0–11.8 in) long. Leaves are arranged alternately, cottony, linear to lance-shaped, about 0.5–4 mm (0.020–0.157 in) wide and 6–30 mm (0.24–1.18 in) long. Flower heads more or less flattened and rounded, about 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) in diameter, 6-11 bracts or 2 to 3 in a row and about 2 mm (0.079 in) long. Flowering may occur anytime of the year and the fruit is a brown achene about 1 mm (0.039 in) long.[2][4]
Taxonomy and naming
Gnephosis arachnoides was first formally described in 1851 by Nicolai Stepanovitch Turczaninow and the description was published in Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou.[5][6] The specific epithet (arachnoidea) means 'like a spider's web', referring to the hairs on the stems and leaves.[7]
Distribution and habitat
Erect yellow-heads grows in a variety of habitats including on sandy to clay soils, and rocky locations, sometimes in saline soils and is widespread in Western Australia,[3] the south of the Northern Territory,[8] South Australia,[2] Queensland and New South Wales.[4]
References
- ^ "Gnephosis arachnoidea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ a b c Kutsche, Frank; Lay, Brendan; Croft, Tim; Kellermann, Jurgen (2013). Plants of Outback South Australia. Adelaide: State Herbarium of South Australia. p. 169. ISBN 9781922027603.
- ^ a b "Gnephosis arachnoidea". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ^ a b Brown, E.A. "Gnephosis arachnoidea". PlantNET-New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ Turczaninow, Nicolai (1851). "Gnephosis arachnoides". Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou. 24 (1): 189. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ "Gnephosis arachnoidea". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 138. ISBN 9780958034197.
- ^ "Gnephosis arachnoidea". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 5 June 2025.