''Leucophyta'' is a plant

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

which is endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The genus was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1818. The sole species in the genus is ''Leucophyta brownii'', also known as cushion bush. In 1891, German botanist

Otto Kuntze Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze (23 June 1843 – 27 January 1907) was a German botanist. Biography Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig. An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled ''Pocket Fauna of Leipzig''. Between 1863 and 1866 he ...

assigned a number of species to this genus in his publication ''

Revisio Generum Plantarum ''Revisio Generum Plantarum'', also known by its standard botanical abbreviation ''Revis. Gen. Pl.'', is a botanic treatise by Otto Kuntze. It was published in three volumes; the first two of these appeared in 1891, and the third was published in ...

'' but none of his name combinations have currency, those species being presently divided between the genera '' Balladonia'', '' Blennospora'', '' Calocephalus'' and '' Gnephosis''. ''Leucophyta brownii'' is a small, rounded shrub with tangled tomentose branchlets that give it a silvery appearance. Although it can grow up to a metre high, it is more usually 0.2 to 0.7 metres high. It produces flowers during summer (December to February in Australia), which are white-yellow globular heads and about 1 cm in diameter. The species is common in cultivation in Australia, with a selected dwarf form from

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, known by the

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

name 'Silver Nugget', also grown.

Habitat

''Leucophyta brownii'' is found in coastal environments. It commonly occurs on the exposed faces of cliffs and dunes on the south coast of Australia. It is highly tolerant of prevailing winds, sea spray, drought and frost, and grows on predominantly sand or sandstone derived soil. Further, the soil can be highly alkaline when sand is composed of calcium carbonate. It grows most successfully in full sun. Leucophyta brownni portsea

References

External links

''Leucophyta brownii'' occurrence data from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q16089820, from2=Q6534219 Gnaphalieae Monotypic Asteraceae genera Asterales of Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (state) Eudicots of Western Australia