Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Cassinia hewsoniae

Flower heads on leafy stems. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Goobang National Park, near Parkes

Flowering plants. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Goobang National Park, near Parkes

Common name

 Sticky Cassinia

Family

Asteraceae

Where found

Mallee and Eucalyptus woodland. ACT and nearby, tablelands in the Burrinjuck area, and Western Slopes.

Notes

Shrub to 2.0 m high. Bark on older stems more or less fibrous, braided. Mid-age bark reddish brown, grooved. Young stems green to reddish, sticky, rough, with spreading  more or less glandular hairs. Foliage usually with a faint to strong resinous odour. Leaves alternating up the stems, cylindrical, 0.8–5 cm long, 0.5–0.9 mm wide, upper surface dull to glossy mid-green, sticky at least when young, smooth or warty, appearing hairless or with sparse rough hairs; bases continuing down the stems for a short distance, margins rolled down to the midrib, lower surface usually obscured by the margins. Flowers with a faint honey scent. Flower heads white, 4–5.5 mm long, with 7–12 white to cream or yellow florets with a green base, in clusters of 40–100 heads. Flowering: Mainly October–December but also in response to rain.

The name Cassinia uncata was previously misapplied to this species.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description with photos:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cassinia~hewsoniae (accessed 7 January, 2021)

The description above partly based on Orchard, A.E. (2004), A revision of Cassinia (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae) in Australia. 2. Sections Complanatae and Venustae. Australian Systematic Botany 17(6): 511-516, Figs 4, 5 (map)