''Hyalosperma simplex'' is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is an upright, annual herb with stems branching from the base and yellow or white flowers and is endemic to Western Australia.

Description

''Hyalosperma simplex'' is an upright, annual herb up to high with simple stems or sparingly branched from the base with a cottony appearance. The leaves are arranged opposite, rounded on one side, flat on the other, about long, pointed, occasional cottony hairs to smooth. The single yellow or white flower heads are at the end of branches and up to in diameter. The

involucral bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s are in several rows, outer bracts ellitic-shaped, dry, light brown with occasional wooly hairs at the base. Flowering occurs from September to December and the fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

oblong to egg-shaped, long, surface rough with small, rounded protuberances or smooth, red-brown and about in diameter.

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first described 1845 by Joachim Steetz who gave it the name ''Helipterum simplex''. In 1989

Paul Graham 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 ...

changed the name to ''Hyalosperma simplex'' and the change was published in the journal ''Nuytsia''.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 ...

(''simplex'') means "simple, not divided" referring to the stems.

Distribution and habitat

''Hyalosperma simplex'' grows on sandy clay, loam or clay in wet locations including swamps and winter wet areas near and south of Perth in Western Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15586075 Gnaphalieae Flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Joachim Steetz