''Asterolasia buckinghamii'' is a species of slender, 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 eastern New South Wales. It has star-shaped hairs on its young branches, broadly egg-shaped, hairy leaves and yellow flowers with rust-coloured, star-shaped hairs on 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 ...

Description

''Asterolasia buckinghamii'' is a slender, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of with its young branches covered with star-shaped hairs. The leaves are spatula-shaped to broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole long. The leaves are covered with star-shaped hairs, densely so on the lower surface and the upper surface has a longitudinal groove. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of two or three 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 or on the ends of branchlets, each flower 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 ...

up to long. The five

s are yellow, elliptical, long and covered with star-shaped, rust-coloured hairs on the back and there are ten

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. Flowering occurs from October to November.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1940 by

William Blakely William Faris Blakely (November 1875 – 1 September 1941) was an Australian botanist and collector. From 1913 to 1940 he worked in the National Herbarium of New South Wales, working with Joseph Maiden on ''Eucalyptus'', Maiden named a ''red g ...

who gave it the name ''Phebalium buckinghamii'' and published the description in ''The Australian Naturalist''. The following year, Blakely changed the name to ''Asterolasia buckinghamii''. 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 ...

(''buckinghamii'') honours "Mr. William J. Buckingham of Lindfield, New South Wales".

Distribution and habitat

''Asterolasia buckinghamii'' grows in gullies and on river flats or on slopes near cliff tops. It occurs in the Wingello district and between

Mittagong Mittagong () is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The town acts as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. Mittagong is situated at an elevation of . The town ...

and Lithgow in New South Wales.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15387916 buckinghamii Sapindales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1940 Taxa named by William Blakely