''Olearia magniflora'', commonly known as splendid daisy-bush, is a small shrub with clusters of deep mauve to purple flowers.

Description

''Olearia magniflora'' is sprawling upright shrub to high with upright stems and an open habit. The branches are smooth and more or less woody. The

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

leaves are dark green above and paler underneath, smooth, slightly sticky and sparsely arranged alternately along the stem. The leaves vary from wedge-shaped or broader at the apex narrowing at the base, long and wide with a prominent mid-vein, usually 3-5 toothed edges at the apex and rolled margins. The single cluster of 14-20 flowers appear at the end of branches on a short stem less than long. The mauve to purple "petals" (strictly

ligules A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses (Poaceae) and sedges. A ligule is also a strap-shaped extension of the corolla, such as that of a ...

of the ray florets) are linear and long. The flower centre is a yellow disk of 30-56 florets. The oval to linear overlapping

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 arranged in rows of 4-5 and long, smooth and finely fringed. The dry fruit are one-seeded, smooth, compressed needle-shaped, long and with fine longitudinal lines. The seed is dispersed at maturity. Flowers from July to January.

Taxonomy and naming

The splendid daisy-bush was first described in 1865 by Ferdinand von Mueller who called it ''Aster magniflora'' and published the description in '' Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae''. In 1867 George Bentham changed the name to ''Olearia magniflora'' and published the change in '' Flora Australiensis''. 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 ...

''(magniflora)'' means "large-flowered".

Distribution and habitat

The splendid daisy-bush grows in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. In New South Wales it is found mainly growing from Balranald and

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

areas and north to Wilcannia. It grows in heath, woodland and mallee in well-drained, sandy loam soils.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15586803 Flora of New South Wales Flora of South Australia Flora of Western Australia magniflora Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1865 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller