''Asterolasia'' is a genus of seventeen species of erect or prostrate shrubs in the family Rutaceae, 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 Australia. The leaves are simple and arranged alternately, the flowers arranged in

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

-like groups on the ends of branchlets or in leaf

axils 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 ...

, usually with five

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s, five

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 and ten to twenty-five

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. There are seventeen species and they are found in all Australian mainland states but not in the Northern Territory.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Asterolasia'' are erect or prostrate shrubs. They have simple leaves arranged alternately along the stems, and are simple with smooth edges. The flowers are

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

and have five sepals, five petals and ten to twenty-five stamens. The sepals, petals and stamens are all free from each other, the stamens slightly shorter than the petals. There are five

carpels Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

fused at the base, sometimes to the tip usually with a small beak with the styles fused to each other with a shield-shaped stigma. The fruit is composed of up to five follicle and the dull, black seeds are released explosively.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Asterolasia'' was first formally described in 1854 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in '' Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria''.

Species list

The following is a list of species and subspecies recognised by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

as at June 2020: *''

Asterolasia asteriscophora ''Asterolasia asteriscophora'', commonly known as lemon starbush, is a species of slender, erect shrub in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to southern continental Australia. It has woolly, star-shaped hairs on its young branches, variably-shap ...

'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victo ...

) Druce - lemon starbush **''Asterolasia asteriscophora'' subsp. ''albiflora'' B.J.Mole (Vic.) **''Asterolasia asteriscophora'' (F.Muell.) Druce subsp. ''asteriscophora'' (S.A., N.S.W., Vic.) *''

Asterolasia beckersii ''Asterolasia beckersii'', commonly known as Dungowan starbush, is a species of erect shrub in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It has woolly, star-shaped hairs on its branchlets, egg-shaped to lance-sh ...

'' Orme &

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 evoluti ...

(N.S.W.) - Dungowan starbush *''

Asterolasia buckinghamii ''Asterolasia buckinghamii'' is a species of slender, erect shrub in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It has star-shaped hairs on its young branches, broadly egg-shaped, hairy leaves and yellow flowers with rust-col ...

'' ( Blakely) Blakely (N.S.W.) *''

Asterolasia buxifolia ''Asterolasia buxifolia'' is a species of spindly shrub in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of eastern New South Wales. It has star-shaped hairs on its stems, leathery leaves and yellow flowers arranged singly in leaf axils ...

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

(N.S.W.) *''

Asterolasia correifolia ''Asterolasia correifolia'' is a species of erect shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has white to brown star-shaped hairs on its stems, lance-shaped to elliptical leaves densely covered with white star-shaped hairs on the lower surfac ...

'' (

Juss. Antoine Laurent de Jussieu (; 12 April 1748 – 17 September 1836) was a French botanist, notable as the first to publish a natural classification of flowering plants; much of his system remains in use today. His classification was based on an e ...

) Benth. (Qld., N.S.W.) *''

Asterolasia drummondii ''Asterolasia drummondii'', commonly known as Gairdner Range starbush, is a species of small shrub that is endemic to a restricted area of the southwest of Western Australia. It has egg-shaped leaves and white flowers arranged in umbels of five t ...

Paul G.Wilson Paul Graham Wilson (born 1928) is an Australian botanist. He has been a most prolific contributor to the journal ''Nuytsia'', contributing to the first issue in 1970 and to the 12th volume in 1998, which was dedicated to him for his contribution ...

— Gairdner Range starbush (W.A.) *''

Asterolasia elegans ''Asterolasia elegans'' is a species of slender, erect shrub that is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It has dense, woolly, rusty star-shaped hairs on its stems, lance-shaped leaves densely covered with white and rust-coloured ha ...

'' L.McDougall & Porteners (N.S.W.) *''

Asterolasia grandiflora ''Asterolasia grandiflora'' is a species of weak, open shrub or sub-shrub that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has oblong, elliptical or egg-shaped leaves and pink to mauve flowers arranged in umbels of about three flowers w ...

'' (

Hook. Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botanic garden. At Kew h ...

) Benth. (W.A.) *''

Asterolasia hexapetala ''Asterolasia hexapetala'' is a species of erect, spreading shrub that is endemic to the Warrumbungles in New South Wales. It has oblong to elliptical leaves with star-shaped hairs, especially on the lower surface, and white flowers arranged in ...

'' (

) Druce (N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia muricata''

J.M.Black John McConnell Black (28 April 1855 – 2 December 1951) was a Scottish botanist who emigrated to Australia in 1877 and eventually documented and illustrated thousands of flora in South Australia in the early 20th century. His publications assi ...

(S.A.) - lemon star-bush *''

Asterolasia nivea ''Asterolasia nivea'', commonly known as Bindoon starbush, is a species of weak sub-shrub that is Endemism, endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has leathery oblong to narrow elliptical leaves and white flowers arranged in groups of ...

'' (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson — Bindoon starbush (W.A.) *''

Asterolasia pallida ''Asterolasia pallida'' is a species of woody, perennial herb that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has elliptical leaves and white flowers arranged in umbels of three to six with star-shaped hairs on the back of the petals an ...

(W.A.) **''Asterolasia pallida'' subsp. ''hyalina'' Paul G.Wilson (W.A.) **''Asterolasia pallida'' Benth. subsp. ''pallida'' (W.A.) *''

Asterolasia phebalioides ''Asterolasia phebalioides'', commonly known as downy starbush, is a species of shrub in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It has densely crowded heart-shaped to wedge-shaped leaves densely covered with ...

'' F.Muell. — downy starbush (S.A., Vic.) - downy starbush *'' Asterolasia rivularis'' Paul G.Wilson (N.S.W.) *''

Asterolasia rupestris ''Asterolasia rupestris'' is a species of erect shrub that is endemic to New South Wales. It has heart-shaped to triangular leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and densely covered with star-shaped hairs. The flowers are yellow and arra ...

'' B.J.Mole (N.S.W.) **''Asterolasia rupestris'' subsp. ''recurva'' B.J.Mole (N.S.W.) **''Asterolasia rupestris'' B.J.Mole subsp. ''rupestris'' (N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia squamuligera'' (Hook.) Benth. (W.A.) - yellow starbush *'' Asterolasia trymalioides'' F.Muell. — alpine star-bush **''Asterolasia trymalioides'' subsp. ''areniticola'' K.L.McDougall & C.J.Hook (N.S.W.) **''Asterolasia trymalioides'' B.J.Mole subsp. ''trymalioides'' (N.S.W., Vic.) **''Asterolasia trymalioides'' subsp. ''villosa'' B.J.Mole (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic.)

Distribution

Species of ''Asterolasia'' are found in all mainland states of Australia and in the Australian Capital Territory, but not in Tasmania or the Northern Territory.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2709004 Zanthoxyloideae genera