Cyphanthera albicans explained

Cyphanthera albicans, commonly known as grey ray flower,^[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an upright shrub with grey foliage and cream, white or pale yellow flowers.

Description

Cyphanthera albicans is an upright shrub to high, greyish, branches covered densely in short, matted hairs or soft, short hairs. Older leaves are oval to elliptic or more or less egg-shaped, long, wide, lamina covered densely in short matted hairs, younger leaves up to long and wide. The corolla is cream or light yellow with purple markings, long, smooth or with soft hairs, lobes oval to squared to nearly linear and long. Flowering occurs from spring to early summer and the fruit a capsule long.^{[1] [2]}

Taxonomy and naming

This species was described in 1853 by Allan Cunningham who gave it the name Anthocercis albicans.^[3] In 1853 John Miers transferred the species to Cyphanthera as C. albicans in The Annals and Magazine of Natural History.^{[4] [5]} The specific epithet (albicans) means "becoming white" or "whitish".^[6]

In 1981, Laurie Haegi described three subspecies of C. albicans in the journal Telopea and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• Cyphanthera albicans (A.Cunn.) Miers subsp. albicans^[7] has white to creamy-white flowers long, leaves mostly long and hairs long on the branches.^{[8] [9]}
• Cyphanthera albicans subsp. notabilis Haegi^[10] has white to creamy-white flowers long, leaves mostly long and wide, and woolly hairs long on the branches.^[11]
• Cyphanthera albicans subsp. tomentosa (Benth.) Haegi (previously known as Anthocercis albicans var. tomentosa)^[12] has yellow or pale yellow flowers long, leaves mostly long and hairs less than long on the branches.^[13]

Distribution and habitat

Cyphanthera albicans subsp. albicans grows in forest or shrubland in New South Wales from near Rylstone to the Shoalhaven River and also occurs in Queensland and the far north-east of Victoria.^{[1] [8] [11] [13]} Subspecies notabilis is restricted to the Warrumbungles and subsp. tomentosa to western New South Wales.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Conn . Barry J. . Cyphanthera albicans . Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney . 25 January 2024.
2. Web site: Cyphanthera albicans . Electronic Flora of South Australia . Department for Environment & Water, South Australia . 26 January 2024.
3. Web site: Anthocercis albicans . Australian Plant Name Index . 26 January 2024.
4. Web site: Cyphanthera albicans . Australian Plant Name Index . 26 January 2024.
5. Miers . John . Cyphanthera albicans . The Annals and Magazine of Natural History . Series 2 . 1853 . 11 . 65 . 379 . 26 January 2024.
6. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180 . 129 . 3rd.
7. Web site: Cyphanthera albicans subsp. albicans . Australian Plant Census . 6 February 2024.
8. Web site: Ohlsen . Daniel . Cyphanthera albicans subsp. albicans . Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria . 6 February 2024.
9. Haegi . Laurence A.R. . A conspectus of Solanaceae tribe Anthocerideae . Telopea . 1981 . 2 . 2 . 176 . 10.7751/telopea19814203 . 6 February 2024.
10. Web site: Cyphanthera albicans subsp. notabilis . Australian Plant Census . 6 February 2024.
11. Web site: Conn . Barry J. . Cyphanthera albicans subsp. notabilis . Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney . 6 February 2024.
12. Web site: Cyphanthera albicans subsp. tomentosa . Australian Plant Census . 6 February 2024.
13. Web site: Conn . Barry J. . Cyphanthera albicans subsp. tomentosa . Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney . 6 February 2024.