Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Conospermum longifolium

Flowering stems (subsp. angustifolium). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Flowering plant (subsp. longifolium). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Kuringai Chase National Park, Sydney

Flowering stems (subsp. mediale). Photographer Don Wood, Jervis Bay, NSW

Common name

Long Leaf Smoke Bush

Family

Proteaceae

Where found

Dry forest, woodland, and heath, often on stony ridges or slopes. Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands, north and west from Jervis Bay.

Notes

Shrub to 2 m high. Stems hairy with fine hairs. Leaves alternating up the stems, often crowded, 10–25 cm long, 1–30 mm wide, hairless. Flowers cream to white, mostly about 8 mm long, tubular, with 4 lobes noticeably shorter than the tube. Flowers in branched clusters, usually 1-4 clusters on a plant. Flowering: spring.

Hybridises frequently with Conospermum taxifolium and Conospermum tenuifolium.

subsp. angustifolium:  Broadest leaves 1–4 mm wide. Stalks of the inflorescences usually 8–20 cm long. Flower clusters usually 2–4, originating at the base of the upper leaves.

subsp. longifolium:  Leaves more than 8 mm wide. Stalks of the inflorescences 20–40 cm long, Flower clusters 1 or 2, originating almost at the top of the plant.

subsp. mediale:  Broadest leaves 4–8 mm wide. Stalks of the inflorescences usually 15–30 cm long, Flower clusters usually 2–4, originating at the base of the upper leaves.

PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Conospermum~longifolium (accessed 7 January, 2021)