Olearia pinifolia, commonly known as the pine-daisy, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

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 to

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 ...

. It is a shrub with rigid, linear, sharply-pointed leaves and white and yellow, daisy-like

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

Description

''Olearia pinifolia'' is a rigid, bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of and has stout, woolly-hairy branches. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, crowded, narrowly linear and long. The leaves are rigid and sharply-pointed with the edges rolled under, giving the plant a pine-like appearance. They are

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, ...

on the upper surface and silky-hairy on the obsured lower surface. The heads or daisy-like "flowers" are mostly arranged singly on the end of a long peduncle and have a top-shaped

involucre 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 ...

. Each "flower" has 8 to 10 white

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 ...

surrounding a larger number of yellow disc florets. The

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 are long, narrow and smooth, the pappus with bristles in several rows.

Taxonomy

This daisy was first formally described in 1847 by

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Ro ...

who gave it the name ''Eurybia pinifolia'' in the ''London Journal of Botany'' from specimens collected by Ronald Campbell Gunn. In 1867, George Bentham changed the name to ''Olearia pinifolia'' in ''

Flora Australiensis ''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume Flora of Australia published b ...

''. 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 ...

(''pinifolia'') means "pine-leaved".

Distribution and habitat

''Olearia pinifolia'' is common in alpine or subalpine regions of Tasmania, including on Mount Wellington, Mount Dundas,

Mount Sorell Mount Sorell is a mountain located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. With an elevation of above sea level, the mountain is the most south westerly of all the peaks within the West Coast Range. History The mountain was named i ...

and Mount Field.

Ecology

This species is known to be resistant to ''

Phytophthora cinnamomi ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'', also known as cinnamon fungus, is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants variously called "dieback", "root rot", or (in certain '' Castanea'' species), "ink disease". O ...

'' which can cause root rot. It may be susceptible to

mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Of the more than 2,000 described species, many are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and ...

which feed on the juices of the plant, and may carry other diseases.

Use in horticulture

Seeds can be collected from seeding ''Olearia pinifolia'' in the late summer to early autumn (January-March), when the plant releases the fluffy, white achenes. These can be collected and dried, and if sowed within a short time in a surface layer of loamy, low-phosphorus soil, can yield young ''O. pinifolia'' seedlings. Best sowing months in Tasmania are March-April and October-November, when conditions are mild and frosts rare. Germination occurs in two to five weeks after planting. Plants may also be propagated from cuttings taken from healthy, young specimens.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15587399 Asterales of Australia Flora of Tasmania pinifolia Plants described in 1847 Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker