''Ozothamnus rodwayi'', commonly known as alpine everlastingbush (and formerly known as ''Helichrysum backhousii''), is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

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 ...

that is endemic to

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

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 ...

. It is a widespread small, dense alpine shrub abundantly found in alpine and high subalpine heaths and woodlands.

Description

''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' is a small and compact, highly branched rounded shrub in the family

, and is one of 54 species from the genus ''

Ozothamnus ''Ozothamnus'' is a genus of plants found in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The following is a list of species' names accepted by the Australian Plant Census as at January 2020: *''Ozothamnus adnatus'' - winged everlasting *''Ozotha ...

.'' Typically it grows 50–100 cm in height and 50–80 cm in width. ''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' is distinguished from other members of its genus by its tiny (7-15mm long), grey/green leaves with a densely hairy-white underside, that are obovate and alternately arranged. Young foliage of the plant has a slightly sticky feel. Like other members of the family

it has white daisy flowers; these are arranged in compact terminal, profuse clusters, and are distinguished by brown hairy bracts. As with all members of the family

, its fruit is a cypsela; these have two fused

carpel Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

s yet only one locule, which produces one seed per formed fruit.

Taxonomy

Species variations

There are three species variations of ''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' which are currently recognised by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

: * ''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' var. ''kingii'', silvery, alpine everlastingbush, distinguished by its silver foliage. * ''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' var. ''oreophilus'', eastern alpine everlastingbush, distinguished by dark green leaves. * ''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' var. ''rodwayi'',Wilson, P.G.; Short, P.S. & Orchard, A.E. (1992), "
Ozothamnus rodwayi var. rodwayi
'' ''Australian Plant Census.'' Retrieved 18 March 2022. alpine everlastingbush.

Habitat and distribution

''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' is widespread and abundant in areas of high altitude throughout

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

, to which it is endemic. It is common on exposed alpine slopes to subalpine heath and woodlands, such as at

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania (Australia), northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known Overland Track usually begin. Majo ...

Mount Field National Park Mount Field National Park is a national park in Tasmania, Australia, 64 km northwest of Hobart. The landscape ranges from eucalyptus temperate rainforest to alpine moorland, rising to 1,434 metres (4,705 ft) at the summit of Mount Fi ...

and throughout the

Central Highlands (Tasmania) The Central Highlands is a region in Tasmania, Australia where geographical and administrative boundaries closely coincide. It is also known as ''The Lake Country of Tasmania''. Geographical region The mountains of Central Tasmania are main ...

Cultivation

Requires full sun in moist, well drained soil with a high

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

content. ''Ozothamnus rodwayi'' can be used as an attractive shrubbery, rockery or container plant and can be propagated from seed or cuttings. Lake Seal and Tarn Shelf Mt Field NP

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3359225 rodwayi