''Asterolasia beckersii'', commonly known as Dungowan starbush, is a species of erect shrub in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to a restricted area of New South Wales. It has woolly, star-shaped hairs on its branchlets, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and covered with star-shaped hairs, and white flowers arranged singly in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s, the back of the

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s covered with star-like hairs.

Description

''Asterolasia beckersii'' is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of with its branchlets covered with woolly, fawnish star-shaped hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole about long. The upper surface of the leaves is sparsely hairy and the lower surface covered with greenish to fawnish, woolly, star-shaped hairs. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf

s on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long. The

s are white, about long and covered on the back with woolly, white star-shaped hairs. Flowering has been observed in October.

Taxonomy

''Asterolasia beckersii'' was first formally described in 2017 by Andrew Orme and

Marco Duretto Marco Duretto (born 1964) is a manager and senior research scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney in Australia. His primary research interests are systematics and conservation of Rutaceae, Rubiaceae, Orchidaceae, Stylidiaceae and evolut ...

in the journal '' Telopea'' from specimens collected near Dungowan Dam near Tamworth in 2003. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''beckersii'') honours Doug Beckers for discovering the species.

Distribution and habitat

Dungowan starbush is only known from the type location where in grows in rocky soil along a creekbank.

Conservation status

This plant is listed as "endangered" under the New South Wales Government '' Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 ''. The main threats to the species are its small population size and restricted distribution, road and track maintenance and weed invasion.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65931385 beckersii Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 2017 Taxa named by Marco Duretto