Citation: F. Muell., Rep. Babbage Exped. 1858 13 (1859).

Synonymy: Leucophyta citrea

Common name: Pale beauty-heads, yellow poverty weed.

Description:
Annual herbs; major axes ascending to erect, c. 6-45 cm tall, hairy; leaves alternate, sometimes the lowermost opposite, all oblanceolate, elliptic to narrowly elliptic or narrowly oblong to linear or lanceolate, 0.5-6.3 cm long, 0.18-0.5 cm wide, often dilated and sheathing at the base and somewhat decurrent, tomentose, with the midrib distinct on the upper surface, the uppermost leaves with a hyaline appendage at the apex.

Compound heads broadly ovoid to spheroidal to broadly ellipsoid, 0.65-1.2 cm long, 0.65-0.9 cm diam.; general involucre inconspicuous; general receptacle cylindrical to narrowly oblong, hairy; capitula c. 50-100 per compound head; capitular bracts 7-10, c. 2-seriate, ovate or elliptic, flat to concave, 1.7-3.5 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm wide, mainly hyaline but with an opaque green or brown midrib which extends about two-thirds the length of the bract, the entire bract gradually tapered to the base or more or less abruptly attenuated in the lower quarter, the uppermost part of the lamina variably constricted and yellow to yellow-orange, with long hairs extending from the apex of the midrib; florets 1-3 per capitulum, corolla tube 1.1-2.3 mm long.

Achenes 0.6-1 mm long, 0.35-0.4 mm diam., brown, papillose; pappus of 6-8 multiseriate, plumose bristles which are united at the base into a small cup.

Distribution:  Sandy to clay soils. S.Aust.: EP, MU.   Qld; N.S.W.; Vic. Conservation status: native Flowering time: Oct. — March.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available