Citation: A. Rich., Ess. Fl. Nouv. Zél. (in A. Lesson & A. Rich., Voy. Astrolabe Bot.) 250 (1832).

Derivation: After Carlo Vittadini, 1800-1865, an Italian writer on fungi.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Vittadinias.

Description:
Annual or perennial herbs and small undershrubs, hispid to lanate with septate hairs; minute glandular hairs visible as microscopic globules often also present; leaves cauline, alternate, numerous, flat to conduplicate, rarely terete.

Capitula terminal on branches, shortly pedunculate, solitary, radiate, heterogamous; involucres cylindrical to campanulate; bracts narrow, herbaceous with scarious margins, imbricate in 3-5 unequal series; receptacle convex, naked, pitted; ray florets female, shortly ligulate, 1-3-seriate; disk florets tubular, 5-merous, bisexual; corolla tubes slender, enlarged at the base; anthers obtuse at the base, with slender terminal appendages; style base swollen; style branches with linearsubulate terminal appendages.

Achenes usually flattened, obovate to oblanceolate or cuneate, accrescent, variously hairy but always with a basal hair tuft; pappus of numerous free bristles, far exceeding the involucre.

Distribution:  27 species in Australia, and 1 each in New Caledonia and New Zealand. (N. T. Burbidge (1982) Brunonia 5:1-72).

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: Leaf size and shape, and the general appearance of the plant, vary greatly with locality in most species, which are best distinguished by vestiture and achene characters.

Key to Species:

1. Leaves terete, linear	V. blackii 3.
1. Leaves flat or subconduplicate never linear
2. Stems and underside of leaves densely white-woolly with soft tangled hairs
3. Perennial; achene bearing glandular and non-glandular hairs	V. gracilis 9.
3. Annual; achene bearing non-glandular hairs only	V. nullarborensis 11.
2. Stems subglabrous to hirsute with coarse spreading or strigose hairs, underside of leaves never woolly
4. Leaves mostly once or twice 3-fid	V. dissecta 7.
4. Leaves entire, shallowly lobed or toothed
5. Pappus bristles plumose; achene terete	V. pterochaeta 12.
5. Pappus bristles barbellate; achene flattened or unequally 4- lobed in section
6. Achene with 4 obtuse edges	V. pustulata 13.
6. Achene flattened, with 2 lateral faces bounded by marginal ridges
7. Faces of achene without ribs
8. Involucre 10-14 mm long, densely hirsute with non- glandular hairs	V. megacephala 10.
8. Involucre 6-9 mm long, pubescent with glandular hairs
9. Achene 2.5-3.5 mm long; marginal ridges glabrous; faces bearing non-clavate hairs	V. arida 1.
9. Achene 5-6.5 mm long; marginal ridges appressed-hairy; faces bearing clavate hairs	V. eremaea 8.
7. Faces of achene with 3-7 prominent longitudinal ribs
10. Facial ribs of achene converging near the summit and some becoming fused with marginal ridges
11. Achene bearing glandular hairs, contracted at the summit into a neck 1-3 mm long	V. cervicularis 4.
11. Achene lacking glandular hairs on neck	V. sulcata 14.
10. Facial ribs of achene not converging, none becoming fused with marginal ridges
12. Achene glabrous in lower half except for a hair tuft at the extreme base; marginal ridges glabrous except at the summit	V. australasica 2.
12. Achene bearing hairs on faces and margins from the base to the summit
13. Achene with glandular and non-glandular hairs	V. gracilis 9.
13. Achene with non-glandular hairs only
14. Hairs on the upper portion of the achene faces with bulbous dilated apices; hairs of marginal ridges similar but much shorter	V. condyloides 5.
14. Hairs of the achene all slender, without bulbousapices, those of marginal ridges-hardly shorter than those of faces	V. cuneata 6.

Author: Not yet available