''Actinotus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

, subfamily

Mackinlayoideae Mackinlayoideae is a subfamily of plants containing about nine genera. In the APG II system it was treated at family rank as Mackinlayaceae, but since then it has been reclassified as a subfamily of Apiaceae. ''Platysace'', which has been placed ...

, with about 18 species. It is native to

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

. Its best known member is the flannel flower, a common sight in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

bushland in the spring. The generic name, meaning "furnished with rays" is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

stem ''aktin-''/ακτιν- "ray" or "sunbeam". Most species are endemic to Australia with one from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Other notable species are '' A. schwarzii'' from the

Macdonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte language, Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australia ...

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...

, which closely resembles ''A. helianthi'' in appearance, and the rare pink-flowering '' A. forsythii'' from the Blue Mountains. The genus was established by the French botanist

Jacques Labillardière Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière (28 October 1755 – 8 January 1834) was a French biologist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the Jean-François de Galaup, comte ...

with his description of ''A. helianthi'' on page 67 of the first volume of his ''

Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen ''Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen'' is a two-volume work describing the flora of Australia. Facsimiles of the originals can be found in the onlinBiodiversity Heritage Library (Vol.1)anVol 2) The author was the French botanist Jacques Labillar ...

''. However the habitat statement is anomalous and according to historian

Edward Duyker Edward Duyker (born 21 March 1955) is an Australian historian, biographer and author born in Melbourne. Edward Duyker's books include several ethno-histories – ''Tribal Guerrillas'' (1987), ''The Dutch in Australia'' (1987) and ''Of the Star ...

Labillardière could not have collected the type specimen personally and might have received it from

Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de La Tour Jean-Baptiste Louis Claude Théodore Leschenault de La Tour (13 November 1773 – 14 March 1826) was a French botanist and ornithologist. Born at the family seat (since 1718), Le Villard, near Chalon-sur-Saône, Leschenault de la Tour arrived in ...

botanist on the expedition of

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 175416 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. He carried a few corms of Gros Michel banana ...

or another early French visitor to New South Wales.Duyker ''Citizen Labillardière''(2003) p. 232. Its closest relative is ''

Apiopetalum ''Apiopetalum'' is a genus of plant in the family Apiaceae, comprising 2 species. They are small trees, reaching 6 m in height, and have simple leaves. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia. Its closest relative is the Australian ''Actinotus ...

'' from

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

. Species include: *''

Actinotus bellidioides ''Actinotus bellidioides'', sometimes known as the tiny flannel-flower, is a Rosette (botany), rosette-forming herb endemic to Tasmania, Australia. Its name derives from the genus ''Bellis'' (family Asteraceae) combined with the Greek ''-oides'' ...

'' (Hook.f.) Benth. *''

Actinotus forsythii ''Actinotus forsythii'', the pink flannel flower or ridge flannel flower, is a plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the east coast of Australia, and found in New South Wales and Victoria There are no synonyms. Description ''Actinotus for ...

'' Maiden & Betche *'' Actinotus gibbonsii'' F.Muell. *''

Actinotus glomeratus ''Actinotus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Mackinlayoideae, with about 18 species. It is native to Australasia. Its best known member is the flannel flower, a common sight in Sydney bushland in the spring. The ...

'' Benth. *''

Actinotus helianthi ''Actinotus helianthi'', known as the flannel flower, is a common species of flowering plant native to the bushland around Sydney. It was named and first described by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière in his '' Novae Hollandiae Plantaru ...

'' Labill. *''

Actinotus humilis ''Actinotus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Mackinlayoideae, with about 18 species. It is native to Australasia. Its best known member is the flannel flower, a common sight in Sydney Sydney is the capita ...

'' (F.Muell. & Tate) Domin *''

Actinotus laxus ''Actinotus laxus'' is a small plant in the Apiaceae family, endemic to the southwest coast of Western Australia. It has no synonyms. Description ''Actinotus laxus'' is a perennial herb growing to 0.4 m high and may either straggle or grow a ...

'' Keighery *''

Actinotus leucocephalus ''Actinotus leucocephalus'' is a small plant in the Apiaceae family, endemic to Western Australia. Description ''Actinotus leucocephalus'' is an erect annual herb growing from 0.1 to 0.45 m high. Its white to cream flowers may be seen from Sept ...

'' Benth. *''

Actinotus minor ''Actinotus minor'', commonly known as the lesser flannel flower, is species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a small, sprawling plant with grey-green leaves and white flowers. Description ''Acti ...

'' (Sm.) DC. *''

Actinotus moorei ''Actinotus moorei'', the splitleaf flannelflower, is an endemic Tasmanian perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. It is found in wet ground at high elevation in Tasmania's Central Plateau as well as western and south-western mountains. Taxonomy ...

'' F.Muell. ex Rodway *''

Actinotus novae-zelandiae ''Actinotus novae-zelandiae'' is a plant in the Apiaceae family, native to the South Island of New Zealand. Description ''A. novae-zelandiae'' is a mat-forming/cushion-forming species and has fewer anthers (two anthers) than most ''Actinotus'' ...

'' (Petrie) Petrie *''

Actinotus omnifertilis ''Actinotus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Mackinlayoideae, with about 18 species. It is native to Australasia. Its best known member is the Actinotus helianthi, flannel flower, a common sight in Sydney bushlan ...

'' (F.Muell.) Benth. *''

Actinotus paddisonii ''Actinotus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Mackinlayoideae, with about 18 species. It is native to Australasia. Its best known member is the Actinotus helianthi, flannel flower, a common sight in Sydney bushlan ...

'' R.T.Baker *'' Actinotus rhomboideus'' (Turcz.) Benth. *''

Actinotus schwarzii ''Actinotus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Mackinlayoideae, with about 18 species. It is native to Australasia. Its best known member is the flannel flower, a common sight in Sydney bushland in the spring. The ...

'' F.Muell. *'' Actinotus suffocatus'' (Hook.f.) Rodway *'' Actinotus superbus'' O.H.Sarg.

References

Apiaceae genera Flora of Australasia {{Apiaceae-stub