Montanoa hibiscifolia Benth.

Orsted, A.S. (1853) Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren.  Kjobenhavn 1852: 89-90. Type: Centroamer. 89, wurde von dem dänischen Botaniker Oerstedt in Central-Amerika, und im Staate Costarica, gefunden.

Anzac Flower

Usually flowers and fruits as a shrub about 2-5 m tall.

Leaf blade with white prostrate hairs on both the upper and lower surfaces but more dense on the lower surface. Leaf blades about 10-25 x 6-20 cm. Petiole adorned with a number of wings or lobes. Twigs very pithy.

Flower odour not unpleasant. Flowers produced in globular heads with disk florets towards the middle and ray florets around the margins. Ray florets with a single white petal about 18-20 x 10 mm, about 5-10 ray florets per head. Anthers fused, forming a tube surrounding the style but the filaments free.

What appear to be seeds are actually nuts contained in a winged fruit. Fruit about 10 mm long, nut about 3 mm long. Cotyledons about twice as long as the radicle.

Hypocotyl puberulous, hairs just visible with a lens. Stem clothed in long erect hairs. Cotyledons obovate or orbicular, about 4-6 mm diam. First pair of leaves with toothed margins. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves +/- cordate, apex acuminate, margins with two or three lobes and numerous teeth. Both the upper and lower surfaces clothed in pale coloured hairs. Petiole rather long, winged near the apex just prior to its junction with the leaf blade. Stems and petioles clothed in pale coloured hairs. Seed germination time 11 to 25 days.

An introduced species originally from Central America, now naturalised in NEQ, CEQ and southwards as far as south-eastern Queensland. Altitudinal range in NEQ from 700-800 m. Usually grows in gullies and inaccessible areas of agricultural land but also found in disturbed areas and along roads in upland rain forest.