''Asterolasia'' is a genus of seventeen species of erect or prostrate shrubs in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...

, and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Australia. The leaves are simple and arranged alternately, the flowers arranged in

umbel UMBEL (Upper Mapping and Binding Exchange Layer) is a logically organized knowledge graph of 34,000 concepts and entity types that can be used in information science for relating information from disparate sources to one another. It was retired ...

-like groups on the ends of branchlets or in leaf

axils A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, f ...

, usually with five

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s, five

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s and ten to twenty-five

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. There are seventeen species and they are found in all Australian mainland states but not in the Northern Territory.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Asterolasia'' are erect or prostrate shrubs. They have simple leaves arranged alternately along the stems, and are simple with smooth edges. The flowers are

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

and have five sepals, five petals and ten to twenty-five stamens. The sepals, petals and stamens are all free from each other, the stamens slightly shorter than the petals. There are five

carpels Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ...

fused at the base, sometimes to the tip usually with a small beak with the styles fused to each other with a shield-shaped stigma. The fruit is composed of up to five follicle and the dull, black seeds are released explosively.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Asterolasia'' was first formally described in 1854 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria, Australia ...

in '' Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria''.

Species list

The following is a list of species and subspecies recognised by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Sys ...

as at June 2020: *'' Asterolasia asteriscophora'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria (state), Vic ...

) Druce - lemon starbush **''Asterolasia asteriscophora'' subsp. ''albiflora'' B.J.Mole (Vic.) **''Asterolasia asteriscophora'' (F.Muell.) Druce subsp. ''asteriscophora'' (S.A., N.S.W., Vic.) *'' Asterolasia beckersii'' Orme & Duretto (N.S.W.) - Dungowan starbush *'' Asterolasia buckinghamii'' ( Blakely) Blakely (N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia buxifolia''

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

(N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia correifolia'' (

Juss. Antoine Laurent de Jussieu (; 12 April 1748 – 17 September 1836) was a French botanist, notable as the first to publish a natural classification of flowering plants; much of his system remains in use today. His classification was based on an e ...

) Benth. (Qld., N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia drummondii'' Paul G.Wilson — Gairdner Range starbush (W.A.) *'' Asterolasia elegans'' L.McDougall & Porteners (N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia grandiflora'' (

Hook. Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botanic garden. At Kew he ...

) Benth. (W.A.) *'' Asterolasia hexapetala'' (

) Druce (N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia muricata'' J.M.Black (S.A.) - lemon star-bush *'' Asterolasia nivea'' (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson — Bindoon starbush (W.A.) *'' Asterolasia pallida''

(W.A.) **''Asterolasia pallida'' subsp. ''hyalina'' Paul G.Wilson (W.A.) **''Asterolasia pallida'' Benth. subsp. ''pallida'' (W.A.) *'' Asterolasia phebalioides'' F.Muell. — downy starbush (S.A., Vic.) - downy starbush *'' Asterolasia rivularis'' Paul G.Wilson (N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia rupestris'' B.J.Mole (N.S.W.) **''Asterolasia rupestris'' subsp. ''recurva'' B.J.Mole (N.S.W.) **''Asterolasia rupestris'' B.J.Mole subsp. ''rupestris'' (N.S.W.) *'' Asterolasia squamuligera'' (Hook.) Benth. (W.A.) - yellow starbush *'' Asterolasia trymalioides'' F.Muell. — alpine star-bush **''Asterolasia trymalioides'' subsp. ''areniticola'' K.L.McDougall & C.J.Hook (N.S.W.) **''Asterolasia trymalioides'' B.J.Mole subsp. ''trymalioides'' (N.S.W., Vic.) **''Asterolasia trymalioides'' subsp. ''villosa'' B.J.Mole (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic.)

Distribution

Species of ''Asterolasia'' are found in all mainland states of Australia and in the Australian Capital Territory, but not in Tasmania or the Northern Territory.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2709004 Zanthoxyloideae genera