Brachyscome

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperm > Eudicots > Asterids > Asterales > Asteraceae > Brachyscome 

Other links:     

Common name:                ...  

Conservation status:  ...

Etymology:   

• The genus name is spelled Brachycome by some authors

• Henri Cassini published the name Brachyscome in 1816, forming it from the classical Greek brachys ("short") and kome ("hair"), a reference to the very short pappus bristles

• Because the combining form of brachys in Greek compound words is brachy-, Cassini later corrected the spelling to Brachycome

• Australian taxonomists still debate whether Cassini's corrected spelling is admissible under the rules of botanical nomenclature

• A proposal to conserve Brachycome was rejected in 1993 by the Committee for Spermatophyta

Flowers:                  

• The flower heads are solitary or borne in small corymbs

• The head has a row of ray florets in shades of white, blue, pink, or mauve, and yellow disc florets

Fruit:                         

• The genus is distinguished from other genera in tribe Astereae mainly by the structure of the fruit

• These achenes or cypselas are roughly club-shaped but usually incurved and flattened

• They often have a membranous rim or wing around the edge that is sometimes wavy or fringed

• The pappus is less than one millimeter long in most species

Leaves:         

• Species have a basal rosette of leaves and/or leaves alternately arranged on the stem

• The blades are entire or divided

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Annual and perennial herbs and small shrubs

Habitat:   

• Brachyscome species are found in a wide range of habitats

• They occupy rainy coastal and mountainous regions as well as dry central Australia

Distribution:                  

• Most are endemic to Australia, and a few occur in New Zealand and New Guinea

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Species:                     

• World:           65 - 80 

• Australia:     Most are endemic to Australia; a few occur in New Zealand and New Guinea

Additional notes:     

• Genetics

  • One of the annual plains species, Brachyscome dichromosomatica, is remarkable for its low chromosome count

  • In this species n=2, though some plants have 1, 2 or 3 additional large B chromosomes

  • The genus has an unusually large range of chromosome counts, from n=2 to n=18

• Cultivation

  • Some Brachyscome species, notably Brachyscome iberidifolia (Swan river daisy), are popular as easily cultivated ornamental plants for flower gardens, and many cultivars are bred for their form, foliage, and flowers

• Species

  • There are between 65 and 80 species in the genus

  • Main article: List of Brachyscome species

  • Species include:

    • Brachyscome aculeata – hill daisy

    • Brachyscome ascendens

    • Brachyscome basaltica – swamp daisy

    • Brachyscome chrysoglossa - yellow-tongue daisy

    • Brachyscome ciliaris - variable daisy

    • Brachyscome decipiens – field daisy

    • Brachyscome dentata

    • Brachyscome graminea - stiff daisy, grassland daisy

    • Brachyscome iberidifolia - Swan River daisy

    • Brachyscome multifida - cut-leaved daisy, rock daisy, Hawkesbury daisy

    • Brachyscome nivalis – snow daisy

    • Brachyscome scapigera - tufted daisy

    • Brachyscome segmentosa - Lord Howe daisy, mountain daisy

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachyscome (2024)