''Xanthosia pilosa'', known as the woolly xanthosia is a species of the

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

, but sometimes also placed in

Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguisha ...

or Mackinlayaceae. It grows in south eastern

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 ...

, in

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

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. This species is known for the variability of form, which has caused difficulties in identification and taxonomy. The specific epithet ''pilosa'' comes from the Latin, meaning softly hairy.Les Robinson - Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, page 127 A small shrub up to 65 cm tall, with stems less than 50 cm long. It grows in

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

forests. Occasionally by streams, but often in rocky or sandy situations. Leaves are woolly and lobed, and the whitish-green flowers form in spring and summer. The fruit is 2 to 3 mm long, with 7 to 9 ribs on the

mericarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more seeds (the m ...

. This plant was collected in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, and first appeared in scientific literature in the year 1810 in the

Transactions of the Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

10: 301, t. 22, fig. 1, authored by the English botanist,

Edward Rudge Edward Rudge (27 June 1763 – 1846) was an English botanist and antiquary. Life He was the son of Edward Rudge, a merchant and alderman of Salisbury, who possessed a large portion of the abbey estate at Evesham. He matriculated from Queen's ...

Gallery

Xanthosia pilosa mobot31753002433560 03292.jpg, Tab 22 Fig 1 (Rudge Xanthosia pilosa PA260576 02.jpg, Brisbane Waters National Park Xanthosia pilosa PA210371.jpg, Brisbane Waters National Park Xanthosia pilosa PA210366.jpg, Brisbane Waters National Park

References

External links

''Xanthosia pilosa'' Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium
Mackinlayoideae Apiales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia) {{Australia-asterid-stub