Hyalosperma demissum

Hyalosperma demissum, commonly known as moss sunray,[2] is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a small, annual herb with whitish yellow flowers and is endemic to Australia.

Moss sunray
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Hyalosperma
Species:
H. demissum
Binomial name
Hyalosperma demissum

Description

Hyalosperma demissum is a rounded, small annual to 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) high and sparsely covered with long, soft, straight hairs or smooth. The leaves are linear and more or less triangular in cross-section, about 5 mm (0.20 in) long, about 0.2 mm (0.0079 in) wide and gradually tapering to a point. The whitish-yellow flowers are in dense clusters amongst the foliage, the bracts are arranged in 3-4 rows, broadly oblong to oval shaped, outer bracts 2–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long, almost translucent, light green, silvery or light yellowish brown. The florets are in groupings of 15-25 and the corolla has 3 or 4 lobes. Flowering occurs from September to December and the fruit is a dry, one-seeded, compressed, egg-shaped, warty and about 0.7 mm (0.028 in) long.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was described in 1852 by Asa Gray and given the name Pteropogon demissus.[4] In 1989 Paul G.Wilson changed the name to Hyalosperma demissum and the description was published in Nuytsia.[5][6] The specific epithet (demissum) means "low-lying".[7]

Distribution and habitat

Moss-sunray grows on clay, loam, sand plains, shallow rocky soils and winter-wet locations in Western Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.[2][8]

References
  1. "Hyalosperma demissum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. Wilson, Paul. "Hyalosperma demissum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  3. "Hyalosperma demissum". VICFLORA-Flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  4. "Pteropogon demissus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  5. "Hyalosperma demissum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  6. Wilson, Paul (1989). "Hyalosperma demissum". Nuytsia. 7 (1): 85. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  7. George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 184. ISBN 9780958034197.
  8. Spooner, Amanda. "Hyalosperma demissum". Florabase-the Flora of Western Australia. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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