''Scaevola canescens'' is a species of plant in the family Goodeniaceae. It is endemic to Western Australia where it occurs "from

Shark Bay Shark Bay (Malgana: ''Gathaagudu'', "two waters") is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/shark-bay area is located approximately north of Perth, on the ...

to Perth, in open forest and heath in sandy soil".

Description

''Scaevola canescens'' (grey scaevola) is a shrub growing up to high. It has sessile, entire, oblong to oblanceolate leaves which are long and wide and densely hairy. It flowers from March to October in axillary spikes up to long, the corolla is bearded, and white with brownish veins. The fruit is usually one-seeded.

Distribution

It grows in the

IBRA The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. It was devel ...

regions: Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest,

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

, and Yalgoo.

Etymology

The specific epithet is Latin:

''canescens,-entis'' (part.B): ''canescent'', “grayish-white. A term applied to hairy surfaces” (Lindley); “hoary with gray pubescence” (Fernald 1950); becoming gray, grayish; in mosses, hoary due to the collective hyaline hair points on the apices of leaves.

Taxonomy

''S. canescens'' was first described by George Bentham in 1837. A holotype (W0047196) was collected by

von Hügel The Hügel family is a German noble family originating from Württemberg. In 1790, members of the younger branch of the family were elevated to the rank of Imperial Baron by Leopold II, while in 1801 members of the elder line of family were raised ...

at King Georges Sound, and is kept at Naturhistorisches Museum Wien Botanische Abteilung (W). The earliest Australian record (MEL 1521288A) was collected by J.A.L. Preiss on April 15, 1839, somewhere in the vicinity of Perth.

References

canescens Taxa named by George Bentham Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1837 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{asterales-stub