''Commersonia amystia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

and

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

to eastern Australia. It is a dwarf shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves that are densely covered with star-like hairs on the lower surface, and has flowers with five white

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s that turn pink as they age, and five smaller white petals.

Description

''Commersonia amystia'' is a dwarf, prostrate to low-lying shrub that typically grows to a height of and has densely hairy branchlets. Juvenile leaves have three lobes and are up to long and wide with small serrations in the edges. The adult leaves are narrow egg-shaped, long and wide on a petiole long. They are covered with white star-like hairs, densely so on the lower surface, and have wavy or irreglarly-toothed edges. The flowers are usually arranged in groups of two to four, the groups on a hairy

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

long, the individual flowers on hairy

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

long. The flowers have five white, petal-like sepals, sometimes pink at the base, long, and five white, cup-shaped petals about long and wide, red near the base with a white

ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses (Poaceae) and sedges. A ligule is also a strap-shaped extension of the corolla, such as that of a ...

long on the end. Five white

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...

s surround the central stye. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is a capsule long and wide, densely-covered with soft white hairs and bristles.

Taxonomy

''Commersonia amystia'' was first formally described in 2008 by Carolyn F. Wilkins and

Lachlan Mackenzie Copeland Lachlan Mackenzie Copeland (born 1973) is an Australian botanist, who obtained his PhD at the University of New England, Spanish Wikipedia: Lachlan Mackenzie Copeland with a thesis entitled Systematic studies in ''Homoranthus'' (Myrtaceae: Chame ...

in the journal ''Telopea'' from material collected by Copeland near Inverell in 2003. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''amystia'') means "large cup" and refers to the base of the petals.

Distribution and habitat

This commersonia grows in rock crevices in woodland and is known from populations near Inverell in New South Wales and in the Ballandean- Stanthorpe in Queensland.

Ecology

''Commersonia amystia'' appears to be killed by fire but to germinate abundantly after, then appears to become

senescent Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence invol ...

a few years later.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15362850 amystia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 2008