NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE

Printable Page

Synonyms: Rulingia amystia APNI*

Description: Dwarf shrub, 10–30 cm high, prostrate to decumbent.

Leaves scarcely discolorous, narrow-ovate, occasionally ovate, 2.5–31.9 mm long, 1.5–9.2 mm wide, base cordate, scarcely oblique; upper surface smooth to scarcely rugose, with medium-density, sessile, white, stellate hairs, scattered above smaller stellate hairs and with or without intermixed, scattered, white, clavate glandular trichomes; lower surface densely hairy to tomentose with scattered, sessile, white stellate hairs above dense, smaller, white stellate hairs, with or without intermixed, scattered, white, clavate, glandular trichomes; margin sinuate or irregularly serrate, recurved, hence appearing entire, apex obtuse or acute. Juvenile leaves trilobed, serrulate, up to 53 mm long, 31 mm wide; petiole 0.8–2.5 mm long.

Inflorescence a leaf-opposed cyme, 9–39 mm long, flowers 1–6. Calyx white becoming pale pink, 3.9–5.8 mm long, petals white, 1.8–3.2 mm long, petal base prominently gibbous below and above petal attachment point.

Capsule 8–10 mm long, 11.5–13 mm wide, outer surface with dense, soft, white stellate hairs beneath dense bristles throughout, bristle shaft with dense, white, mainly simple hairs (rarely with 2 or 3 arms); apical stellate hair white, with erect and horizontal arms.

Illustration I. Telford

Type Specimen

Flowering: Flowers in August, September and October with young fruits usually forming in October and November.

Distribution and occurrence: Currently known from two populations in the Inverell district of northern New South Wales and three populations in the Ballandean – Stanthorpe districts of southern Queensland.

Grows in skeletal, sandy-loams amongst crevices of granitic and acid volcanic outcrops. Altitude ranges from 700 m to approximately 1050 m. Associated species include Eucalyptus prava, Harmogia densifolia, Acacia triptera, Homoranthus prolixus, Lepidosperma laterale, Actinotus gibbonsii and Cheilanthes sieberi. Commersonia amystia appears to be an obligate seeder that is killed by fire but germinates in abundance shortly thereafter.
NSW subdivisions: NT, NWS
Other Australian states: Qld

AVH map***

Known from fewer than 300 individuals in New South Wales. Threats include inappropriate fire regimes and disturbance by feral goats and pigs. May be confused with Commersonia rugosa, which has prominently rugose leaves. Differs from C. dasyphylla, which has dense, long hairs of one length on the lower leaf surface, and fruits with almost glabrous bristles scattered throughout. Differs from C. hermanniifolia, which has stiff, elliptic leaves, and from C. breviseta, which has short bristles towards the apex of the fruit.