''Olearia algida'', the alpine daisy-bush 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 south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with small, crowded, elliptic to narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and heads of white and cream-coloured, daisy-like flowers.

Description

''Olearia algida'' is a bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of and has cottony-hairy young branchlets. The leaves are arranged alternately and crowded, elliptic to narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide with the edges rolled under, the upper surface

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

but the lower surface woolly-hairy. The daisy-like capitula are arranged singly on the ends of short side-branches and are in diameter. There are two to six white petal-like

ray florets Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fa ...

with

ligule A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above g ...

s long, surrounding two to six yellow disc florets. Flowering mainly occurs from October to February and the

cypselae Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fam ...

are about long with bristles about long.

Taxonomy

''Olearia algida'' was first formally described in 1956 by

Norman Arthur Wakefield Norman Arthur Wakefield (28 November 1918 – 23 September 1972) was an Australian teacher, naturalist, paleontologist and botanist, notable as an expert on ferns. He described many new species of plants. Wakefield was born in Romsey, Victoria, ...

in ''

The Victorian Naturalist ''The Victorian Naturalist'' is a bimonthly scientific journal covering natural history, especially of Australia. It is published by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and is received as part of the membership subscription of that club. From ...

'' from specimens collected b
A.J. Tadgell
on Mount Bogong in 1922. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''algida'') is a Latin word meaning "cold".

Distribution and habitat

Alpine daisy-bush grows in heath, shrubland and grassland near swampy places in alpine and subalpine areas south from

Mount Gingera Mount Gingera is a mountain with an elevation of located within the Brindabella Range on the border between the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales in Australia. The summit of the mountain is located within the ACT, and is the s ...

in the Australian Capital Territory, through southern New South Wales to eastern Victoria and Tasmania. It is also cultivated in New Zealand.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7085981 Asterales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (state)

algida This is a list of brands owned by the British multinational consumer goods company Unilever. Food and drink Condiments and extracts * Amino – food products (Poland) * Amora – French mayonnaise and dressings (France, Belgium and Mo ...

Plants described in 1956 Taxa named by Norman Arthur Wakefield