''Kippistia'' 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 ...

. The name commemorates

Richard Kippist Richard Kippist (11 June 1812 – 14 January 1882) was an English botanist and librarian. Life Kippist was born in Stoke Newington, London, on 11 June 1812. He worked as a clerk in the office of Joseph Woods, F.L.S., architect, with whom he sha ...

, librarian to the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collec ...

. There is only one known species, ''Kippistia suaedifolia'', native to

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 ...

. It is found in every state and territory in the country except

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Description

''Kippistia suaedifolia'' is small shrub to growing 60cm. It is dense with many wiry branches. Leaves are succulent and without hair, from 0.2cm to 2.5cm long, straight and sometimes cylindrical with a curved point at the tip. The single yellow bell-shaped flowers at the ends of stems, as other daisy flowers, are made up of disc florets and ray florets. The achenes or fruit of the ray florets have hairs at the base, those of the disc florets do not.

Taxonomy

Although ''Kippistia'' is currently considered a

monotypic taxon In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of Genus, genera, the term ...

, in 1872, John Miers used the same name to describe some

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

plants in the

Celastraceae The Celastraceae (staff-vine or bittersweet) are a family of 98 genera and 1,350 species of herbs, vines, shrubs and small trees, belonging to the order Celastrales. The great majority of the genera are tropical, with only ''Celastrus'' (the staf ...

. Miers was aware that

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 ...

had already applied the name to some very different

n plants. Therefore, Miers' names needed to be changed: * ''Kippistia cognata'' Miers - '' Cheiloclinium cognatum'' (Miers) A.C.Sm. * ''Kippistia diffusiflora'' Miers - '' Cheiloclinium diffusiflorum'' (Miers) A.C.Sm. * ''Kippistia organensis'' Miers - '' Cheiloclinium serratum'' (Cambess.) A.C.Sm. * ''Kippistia serrata'' (Cambess.) Miers - '' Cheiloclinium serratum'' (Cambess.) A.C.Sm.

Distribution

The species is widespread across South Australia and Inland in Western Australia from central regions to the South. In Victoria north from Dimboola and chiefly to the West of Salt Lake. In the Northern Territory south of Alice Springs and to the south and west of Mount Windsor Station in Queensland. In New South Wales to the West and North-West of Weelah Forest (Condobolan area). There are also several records near Conoble in the Ivanhoe Distsrict.

Ecology

''Kippistia suaedifolia'' flowers from August to November and is usually fairly abundant in the populations where it is found. The species is generally found around salt lakes and in depressions on gypsum and on gypsum outcrops. ''K. suaedifolia'' is thought to be an obligate Gypsophile, favouring sites with high purity of gypsum deposits over sites where the quality of the gypsum is considered poor.

Uses

Essential oils distilled from ''K. suaedifolia'' are perillyl acetate and limonene. Perillyl acetate is used in food flavouring and the perfume industry.

Limonene Limonene () is a colorless liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic monoterpene, and is the major component in the essential oil of citrus fruit peels. The (+)-isomer, occurring more commonly in nature as the fragrance of oranges, ...

is also used as flavouring and in the perfume industry. It is also used in cosmetics

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q6414688, from2=Q6414685 Monotypic Asteraceae genera Endemic flora of Australia Astereae Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller