Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Hibbertia cistiflora

Common name

A guinea flower

Family

Dilleniaceae

Where found

Heath on sandstone. Coast, ranges, and the eastern tablelands, mainly north of Kiama.

subsp. cistiflora:  In the transition area between heath and open forest or woodland. Sydney area south to the Illawarrra Highway. Blue Mountains south to the Southern Highlands. Rarely elsewhere.

subsp. quadristaminea:  Seepage areas with low heath, often under open woodland. Dry sandy or gravelly slopes. Blue Mountains National Park.

Notes

Shrub to 0.3 m high, sprawling to slightly scrambling. Stems wiry becoming stiff, with pronounced more or less flanged leaf bases continuing down the stems, hairless. Leaves alternating up the stems, 0.16–1.45 cm long, about 1 mm wide, upper surface hairless, margins rolled down, lower surface not visible except for the slightly bulging central vein. Flowers with 5 yellow petals each 4.5–12.4 mm long. Stamens 4-7, in one cluster. Carpels 2, hairless, styles attached on the sides of the carpels near the top, and curved up and then erect; to both sides of the anthers. Flowers stalkless, single at the tops of the stems. Flowers mainly Aug.-Oct., and sporadically through the year.

subsp. cistiflora:  Leaves with scattered warts, at least below. Stamens 6, rarely 7 or 5.

subsp. quadristaminea:  Leaves smooth or with warts along the margins and towards the tips. Stamens 4-5.

PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hibbertia~cistiflora  (accessed 20 January, 2021)

Description partly based on:  Toelken, H.R. & Miller, R.T. (2012), Notes on Hibbertia (Dilleniaceae) 8. Seven new species, a new combination and four new subspecies from subgen. Hemistemma, mainly from the central coast of New South Wales. Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens 25: 86-89