Cassinia macrocephala explained

Cassinia macrocephala is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to northern New South Wales. It is a shrub with narrow linear leaves and spherical, white to cream-coloured or yellowish-green heads.

Description

Cassinia macrocephala is a shrub that typically grows to a height of with a few erect stems. The leaves are narrow linear, long and wide, depending on subspecies. The flowers heads are spherical, white to cream-soloured or yellowish-green and arranged on a peduncle, each head with five to seventeen white florets surrounded by involucral bracts. The achenes are purplish brown, about long with a pappus of 20 to 27 barbed bristles about long.^[1]

Taxonomy and naming

Cassinia macrocephala was first formally described in 2004 by Anthony Edward Orchard in Australian Systematic Botany from specimens collected near Moonbi in 2004.^[2] The specific epithet (macrocephala) means "large-headed".^[3]

In the same journal, Orchard described two subspecies and in 2006 two further subspecies in a later edition of Australian Systematic Botany, and the names of the four subspecies are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• Cassinia macrocaphala Orchard subsp. macrocephala^[4] has leaves long, wide and usually 15 to 17 florets per head;^[5]
• Cassinia macrocaphala subsp. petrapendula Orchard^[6] has leaves long, wide and usually 5 to 7 florets per head;^[7]
• Cassinia macrocaphala subsp. storyi Orchard^[8] has leaves long, wide and usually 8 florets per head;^[9]
• Cassinia macrocaphala subsp. storyi Orchard^[10] has leaves long, wide and usually 9 or 10 florets per head;^[11]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Cassinia grows on granite soils in forest in New South Wales. Subspecies macrocaphala occurs on the Northern Tablelands, subsp. petrapendula is only found in a restricted area near Nundle, and subsp. storyi is only known from the type location near Coolah Tops and subsp. tenuis near Inverell.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Cassinia macrocephala . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 20 June 2021.
2. Web site: Cassinia macrocephala . Australian Plant Name Index. 20 June 2021.
3. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180 . 246 . 3rd.
4. Web site: Cassinia heleniae subsp. macrocephala . Australian Plant Census . 20 June 2021.
5. Web site: Cassinia macrocephala subsp. macrocephala . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 20 June 2021.
6. Web site: Cassinia heleniae' subsp. petrapendula . Australian Plant Census . 20 June 2021.
7. Web site: Cassinia macrocephala subsp. petrapendula . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 20 June 2021.
8. Web site: Cassinia heleniae subsp. storyi . Australian Plant Census . 20 June 2021.
9. Web site: Cassinia macrocephala subsp. storyi . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 20 June 2021.
10. Web site: Cassinia heleniae subsp. tenuis . Australian Plant Census . 20 June 2021.
11. Web site: Cassinia macrocephala subsp. storyi . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 20 June 2021.