Odixia achlaena

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Eudicots > Asterids >  Asterales> Asteraceae > Odixia achlaena

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:         Golden Everlasting Bush

Conservation status: Least concern

•  Adverse impacts include plantation establishment and also clearing for agriculture 

• There is no immediate (2004) need for reassessment of Odixia achlaena

Etymology:   

Flowers

• The flowers are yellowish-white and found in numerous, very small, shortly stalked flower heads 

• These are arranged in large flattened clusters at the ends of the upper branches

• Each one of the flower heads is approximately 5 mm long and contains 4-5 small flowers

Fruit:                            

• The fruit is a dry, small leathery structure approximately 1.2 mm long

• It is overed in curved, elongated pimple like protrusions that form a ring at one end of the seed

Leaves:         

• The leaves are alternately arranged along the stem and up to 2.5 cm long

• The edges of the leaves are strongly bent back towards the underside of the leaf, almost covering the densely hair undersurface

Stem & branches: 

• The branches arise in false whorls from beneath the previous year’s flower heads

• The young branches, leaves and flower stalks are densely covered in white, short, soft matted hairs, which are underneath a sticky yellow substance

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A stiff, erect and much branched shrub to 2 m tall

Habitat:   

• It was initially discovered growing in Eucalyptus forest with Eucalyptus cordata (silver heart gum)

• It is common in dry sclerophyll forest around the area 

Distribution:                  

• This species is endemic to Tasmania 

• It is locally abundant in the south-east near Kellevie

Additional notes:     

• This species was previously known as Ixodia achlaena

• Key Sites and Populations

  • Key sites include Kellevie Road, Weilangta Road, Corbetts Lookout, Franklins Road, Hospital Creek, Iles Tier, Gordons Sugarloaf, Jacob Hill, Prossers Sugarloaf, Sandspit River and Mt Walter

• Known Reserves

  • Reserved in the Cape Bernier Nature Reserve, Hospital Creek Nature Reserve and the

  • Sandspit River Forest Reserve.

• Ecology and Management

  • This species is highly responsive to soil disturbance and fire 

  • Fire stimulates recruitment by promoting germination of soil stored seed

  • The species can be abundant on quarry floors benefiting from the disturbance and the removal of topsoil, reducing productivity at the site thereby resulting in a reduction of competition from other species

Sources of information:

• Natural Values Atlas, 2004 (pdf) (April 2024)