''Cassinia copensis'' is a species of flowering plant 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 ...

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 eastern Australia. It is an erect, multi-stemmed shrub with aromatic, cylindrical leaves, and heads of creamy-white flowers arranged in a flattened

corymb 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 ...

Description

''Cassinia copensis'' is an erect, multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows to a height of and is strongly aromatic. The leaves are cylindrical long and about wide with the edges rolled under. The upper surface of the leaves is sticky with a sunken midrib and the lower surface is densely covered woolly white hairs. The flower heads are about long, each with five or six creamy-white

florets This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

surrounded by overlapping, opaque

involucral bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...

. The heads are arranged in a flattened corymb of one hundred to two hundred florets. Flowering occurs in December and the

achenes An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not open ...

are about long with a pappus of about twenty bristles long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Cassinia copensis'' was first formally described in 2004 by

Anthony Edward Orchard Anthony Orchard (born 22 May 1946) is a retired botanist who worked at the State Herbarium of South Australia. His main interests were the study of the genera Rosaceae, Haloragaceae, Asteraceae and Rubiaceae. Anthony (Tony) Orchard is a systema ...

in ''

Australian Systematic Botany ''Australian Systematic Botany'' is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal published by CSIRO Publishing. It is devoted to publishing original research, and sometimes review articles, on topics related to systematic botany, such as b ...

'' from specimens he collected near Copes Creek on the road between Bundarra and

Inverell Inverell is a large town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the ...

in 2004.

Distribution and habitat

This species of ''Cassinia'' grows in forest and woodland in the watershed of Copes Creek in New South Wales and near

Wallangarra Wallangarra is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia on the border with New South Wales. It is the third-most southerly town in Queensland, south west of Brisbane. Wal ...

in Queensland, near the border with New South Wales.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15560898 copensis Asterales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 2004