''Brachyscome'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of flowering plants in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. Most are

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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and a few occur in

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 ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

.Genus ''Brachyscome''.
PlantNet. New South Wales Flora Online. The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney.

Name

The genus name is spelled ''Brachycome'' by some authors.

Henri Cassini Viscount Alexandre Henri Gabriel (vicomte) de Cassini (9 May 1781 – 23 April 1832) was a French botanist and naturalist, who specialised in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) (then known as family Compositae). He was the youngest of five childre ...

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 Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy (biology), taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; Botany, botanical nomenclature then provides na ...

. A proposal to conserve ''Brachycome'' was rejected in 1993 by the Committee for Spermatophyta.Brummitt, R. K. (1993)
Report of the Committee for Spermatophyta: 38.
''Taxon'' 42(3), 687-97.

Genetics

One of the annual plains species, '' Brachyscome dichromosomatica'', is remarkable for its low

chromosome A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most import ...

count. In this species ''n''=2, though some plants have 1, 2 or 3 additional large

B chromosomes In addition to the normal karyotype, wild populations of many animal, plant, and fungi species contain B chromosomes (also known as supernumerary, accessory, (conditionally-)dispensable, or lineage-specific chromosomes). By definition, these chr ...

.Carter, C. R. (1978). Taxonomy of the ''Brachycome lineariloba'' complex (Asteraceae). ''Telopea'' 5, 387-93. The genus has an unusually large range of chromosome counts, from ''n''=2 to ''n''=18.

Description

These are

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), a ...

and

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

and small

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s. Species have a basal rosette of leaves and/or leaves alternately arranged on the stem. The blades are entire or divided. The

flower heads A pseudanthium (; : pseudanthia) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, composite flowers ...

are solitary or borne in small

corymbs Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...

. The head has a row of ray florets in shades of white, blue, pink, or

mauve Mauve ( ; ) is a pale purple color named after the mallow flower (French: ). The first use of the word ''mauve'' as a color was in 1796–1798 according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. ...

, and yellow disc florets.

Fruit

The genus is distinguished from other genera in

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Astereae Astereae is a tribe of plants in the family Asteraceae that includes annuals, biennials, perennials, subshrubs, shrubs, and trees. They are found primarily in temperate regions of the world. Plants within the tribe are present nearly worldwide di ...

mainly by the structure of the

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

. These

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and Dehi ...

s 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.Everett, J. "''Brachycome''". In: Harden, G. J. (ed.) ''Flora of New South Wales'' volume 3, pages 155-67. University of New South Wales Press. 1992.

Habitat

''Brachyscome'' species are found in a wide range of habitats. They occupy rainy coastal and mountainous regions as well as dry central Australia.Watanabe, K., et al. (1999)
Chromosomal evolution in the genus ''Brachyscome'' (Asteraceae, Astereae): statistical tests regarding correlation between changes in karyotype and habit using phylogenetic information.
''Journal of Plant Research'' 112(2), 145-61.

Cultivation

Some ''Brachyscome'' species, notably ''Brachyscome iberidifolia'' (Swan river daisy), are popular as easily cultivated

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

s for flower gardens, and many

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s are bred for their form, foliage, and flowers.

Species

There are between 65 and 80 species in the genus.''Brachyscome''.
The Plant List. 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 A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

daisy *'' Brachyscome iberidifolia'' - Swan River daisy *'' Brachyscome mittagongensis'' *'' Brachyscome multifida'' - cut-leaved daisy, rock daisy, Hawkesbury daisy *'' Brachyscome nivalis'' – snow daisy *'' Brachyscome scapigera'' - tufted daisy *'' Brachyscome segmentosa'' - Lord Howe daisy, mountain daisy

References

External links

''Brachyscome'' species records.
FloraBase. Western Australian Herbarium. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2702913 Asteraceae genera Plants described in 1816 Flora of Australia Taxa named by Henri Cassini