''Brachyscome ciliaris'', commonly known as variable daisy, is a small bushy perennial herb with a prominent flower, which occurs throughout most of temperate Australia

Description

It grows as a bushy perennial herb up to 45 centimetre in height. Flowers range from white to purple.

Taxonomy

This species was first collected by

Jacques Labillardière Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière (28 October 1755 – 8 January 1834) was a French biologist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition. He pub ...

and published in his 1806 ''

Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen ''Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen'' is a two-volume work describing the flora of Australia. Facsimiles of the originals can be found in the onlinBiodiversity Heritage Library (Vol.1)anVol 2) The author was the French botanist Jacques Labillar ...

'' under the name ''Bellis ciliaris''. In 1832 Christian Friedrich Lessing transferred it into ''

Brachyscome ''Brachyscome'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are endemic to Australia, and a few occur in New Zealand and New Guinea.taxonomic synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Lin ...

s, among them: ''Brachyscome drummondii'' Walp., ''Brachyscome ciliaris'' var. ''brachyglossa'' Gauba, ''Brachyscome dimorphocarpa'' G.L.R.Davis, ''Brachyscome billardierei'' Benth. and ''Brachyscome ciliaris'' var. ''lanuginosa'' (Steetz) Benth.. Three varieties are recognised: * ''Brachyscome ciliaris'' var. ''ciliaris'' * ''Brachyscome ciliaris'' var. ''lanuginosa'' * ''Brachyscome ciliaris'' var. ''subintegrifolia''

Distribution and habitat

Geographically speaking, it is very widely distributed, occurring in every Australian state. It is somewhat restricted in terms of habitat, however, favouring red earths and grey sands over limestone or clay, in disturbed areas and on the margins of salt pans.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4953554 ciliaris Asterales of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of Tasmania Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of South Australia Eudicots of Western Australia Taxa named by Jacques Labillardière