''Correa alba'', commonly known as white correa, is a species of shrub that 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 south-eastern Australia. It has egg-shaped to more or less circular leaves, erect white flowers arranged singly or in groups on short side branches, and green fruit.

Description

''Correa alba'' is a prostrate to spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of and has rust-coloured, woolly-hairy young stems. The leaves are leathery, elliptic to more or less round, long and wide on a petiole long. The lower side of the leaves is densely covered with woolly hairs. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to five on the ends of short side branches on

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

long. The calyx is cup-shaped or hemispherical and long with four lobes. 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 are white, rarely pale pink, long, woolly hairy on the back and spreading more or less free from each other. The eight

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 are shorter than the petals. Flowering mainly occurs from April to June and the fruit is long and green.

Taxonomy

''Correa alba'' was first formally described by

Henry Cranke Andrews Henry Cranke Andrews (floruit, fl. 1794 – 1830), was an English botanist, botanical artist and engraver. As he always published as Henry C. Andrews, and due to difficulty finding records, the C. was often referred to as Charles, until a reco ...

in 1798 in his book,''The Botanist's Repository for New, and Rare Plants''. 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 ...

accepts the names of two varieties: * ''Correa alba'' Andrews var. ''alba'' has woolly hairs pressed against the lower surface of the leaves, and pedicels long; * ''Correa alba'' var. ''pannosa'' Paul G.Wilson has thick, woolly to felt-like hairs on the lower surface of the leaves and pedicels long.

Distribution and habitat

White correa occurs in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. In New South Wales it grows in sandy and rocky areas in near coastal areas south form Port Stephens. In Victoria it is common in coastal heath and woodland, extending to the far south east of South Australia. In Tasmania it is common on exposed rocky and sandy areas on the north and east coasts. Variety ''alba'' occurs from Port Stephens and along the coasts of New South Wales and as far west as

Cape Otway Cape Otway is a cape and a bounded locality of the Colac Otway Shire in southern Victoria, Australia on the Great Ocean Road; much of the area is enclosed in the Great Otway National Park. History Cape Otway was originally inhabited by the Gadub ...

in Victoria. It is also the variety occurring in Tasmania. Variety ''pannosa'' is found along the south-west coast of Victoria and as far east as the

Encounter Bay Encounter Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the state's south central coast about south of the state capital of Adelaide. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his encounter on 8 April 1802 with Nicolas Baudi ...

region of South Australia.

Ecology

Wombats have been known to eat the leaves and roots.

Uses

In horticulture

''Correa alba'' is a hardy species in well-drained situations and withstands coastal exposure. A position in full sun is best for flowering, but it can also be grown in part shade. It may be used to create an informal hedge or as a container plant.

In food

The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that common names included " Cape Barren Tea" in Tasmania, and that "The leaves of this plant have been used by the sealers on the islands in Bass's Straits as a substitute for tea."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5172732

alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...

Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1798 Taxa named by Henry Cranke Andrews