''Olearia montana'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

and 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 the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. It is a shrub with hairy, elliptic leaves with toothed edges, and mauve and purple daisy-like

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

Description

''Olearia montana'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of up to , its stems and

bracts 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 ...

covered with star-shaped hairs. The leaves are arranged alternately, scattered, elliptic, long and wide with toothed edges, on a petiole up to long. The lower surface of the leaves is covered with felt-like hairs, similar to those on the stems. The heads or daisy-like "flowers" are arranged in

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s and are in diameter on a

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

up to long. There are three or four rows of

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 at the base of each head, forming a hemispherical involucre. Each head has 17 to 28 mauve ray

florets This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

, the

ligule 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 ...

s narrowly elliptic and long, surrounding 15 to 31 purple disc florets. Flowering occurs in September and October and the fruit is a glabrous

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 ...

, the pappus with 35 to 71 bristles.

Taxonomy

''Olearia montana'' was first formally described in 1991 by

Nicholas Sèan Lander Nicholas Lander is an Australian botanist. References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lander, Nicholas 1948 births Living people Botanists active in Australia 20th-century Australian botanists 21st-century Australian botanists ...

in the journal '' Telopea'' from plant material collected in the

Tinderry Mountains Tinderry is a locality in the Snowy Monaro Region, New South Wales, Australia. It lies to the east of Michelago and South West of Captains Flat Captains Flat is a town in the Southern Tablelands of rural New South Wales, Australia, in Qu ...

by Thomas Gordon Hartley in 1971. 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 ...

(''montana'') refers to the montane habit of this species.

Distribution and habitat

''Olearia montana'' grows in forest and woodland in the Tinderry, Brindabella and

Scabby Range Scabby may refer to: People * William Cragh, Welsh medieval warrior, also known as "William the Scabby". * Cathal Carragh Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht from 1189 to 1202, who was nicknamed "scabby". * Amlaíb Cenncairech, a Norse ruler whose name ...

s on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15587920

montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1991