''Olearia viscidula'', commonly known as the viscid daisy bush or wallaby weed, 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 eastern New South Wales. It is a shrub with scattered narrow elliptic or egg-shaped leaves that are paler on the lower surface, and

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 of white flowers arranged in leaf axils.

Description

''Olearia viscidula'' is a woody shrub reaching high and wide. The oval leaves are alternately arranged along the stems and are up to long and wide with entire margins. The upper leaf surfaces are shiny green, while the leaf undersides are covered with pale grey fur. The stems and new growth are sometimes covered in resin. Flowering takes place from July to November, and can be profuse. The disc is cream or yellow and rays are white, the daisy-like flower heads in diameter.

Taxonomy and naming

Viscid daisy bush was first formally described in 1858 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

and given the name ''Eurybia viscidula'' '' Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae'' from material collected by Charles Moore near Goulburn. In 1867, George Bentham changed the name to ''Olearia viscidula'' in his book '' Flora Australiensis''. The species name is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"slightly sticky".

Distribution and habitat

''Olearia viscidula'' occurs in eastern New South Wales, where it is found south of the Nandewar Rangesand where it grows in tall eucalypt forest and rainforest as well as dry sclerophyll forest and woodland, on medium- or high-nutrient soils.

Ecology

This daisy bush resprouts from a lignotuber after bushfire.

Use in horticulture

Seldom seen in cultivation, ''O. viscidula'' grows in soil with good drainage in a part-shaded location. Regular pruning prevents the plant from becoming leggy. The species is frost-hardy. It can be propagated by seed or cutting.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7086015 viscidula Asterales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Plants described in 1858