Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Trachymene composita

Umbel (var. composita). Photographer Linda Richmond, near Frankston, Vic

Flowering plant (var. composita). Photographer Don Wood, Namadgi National Park, ACT

Flowering plant  (var. composita). Photographer Don Wood, Pambula Beach

'Seeds' (var. composita). Photographer Don Wood, Pambula Beach

'Seeds' (var. robertsonii). Photographer Don Wood, Ben Boyd National Park, north of Eden

Line drawings. c. plant; leaf; 'seeds' of var. robertsonii centre; 'seed' of var. composita at right. K Maling, University of Sydney, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board, Melbourne Vic

Common name

A trachymene

Family

Araliaceae

Where found

Dry forest, woodland, heath, grassy areas, disturbed areas, rocky sites, and moist and swampy areas. Widespread but not the Western Slopes. Sporadic.

(var. composita) Coast and ranges south of Wollongong. Tinderry Range east of the ACT, ACT, the mountains to the west, and Kosciuszko National Park.

(var. robertsonii) Coastal south from Merimbula.

Notes

Annual or biennial herb to 3.5 m high. Stems sticky hairy to almost hairless. Leaves basal and alternating up the stems, 3–8 cm long, 40–150 mm wide, sparsely hairy to hairy, paler on the undersurface, deeply 3–5 lobed, margins toothed. Flowers with 5 white petals 1.5–2.5 mm long, in about 100–200 flowered umbels 20-45 mm in diameter. Flowers Oct.–Apr.

Was Trachymene anisocarpa.

Family was Apiaceae.

PlantNET description of species: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Trachymene~composita (accessed 5 April 2021)

Var. composita: Hairless ovaries. 'Seeds' smooth or warty.

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

Var. robertsonii:  Very hairy ovaries. 'Seeds' very hairy.

Vulnerable Vic.

 VICFLORA description of species and key to varieties: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/acc75962-5bea-4e2a-a199-0e8a6b50ea17 (accessed 5 April 2021)