Cassinia macrocephala


Cassinia macrocephala is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to northern New South Wales. It is a shrub with narrow linear leaves and spherical, white to cream-coloured or yellowish-green heads.

Description

Cassinia macrocephala is a shrub that typically grows to a height of with a few erect stems. The leaves are narrow linear, long and wide, depending on subspecies. The flowers heads are spherical, white to cream-soloured or yellowish-green and arranged on a peduncle, each head with five to seventeen white Glossary of [botanical terms#floret|florets] surrounded by involucral bracts. The achenes are purplish brown, about long with a pappus of 20 to 27 barbed bristles about long.

Taxonomy and naming

Cassinia macrocephala was first formally described in 2004 by Anthony Edward Orchard in Australian Systematic Botany from specimens collected near Moonbi in 2004. The specific epithet means "large-headed".
In the same journal, Orchard described two subspecies and in 2006 two further subspecies in a later edition of Australian Systematic Botany, and the names of the four subspecies are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:
  • Cassinia macrocaphala Orchard subsp. macrocephala has leaves long, wide and usually 15 to 17 florets per head;
  • Cassinia macrocaphala subsp. petrapendula Orchard has leaves long, wide and usually 5 to 7 florets per head;
  • Cassinia macrocaphala subsp. storyi Orchard has leaves long, wide and usually 8 florets per head;
  • Cassinia macrocaphala subsp. storyi Orchard has leaves long, wide and usually 9 or 10 florets per head;

    Distribution and habitat

This species of Cassinia grows on granite soils in forest in New South Wales. Subspecies macrocaphala occurs on the Northern Tablelands, subsp. petrapendula is only found in a restricted area near Nundle, and subsp. storyi is only known from the type location near Coolah Tops [National Park|Coolah Tops] and subsp. tenuis near Inverell.