Post by Melanie on Mar 26, 2007 17:44:12 GMT 1
Ozothamnus selaginoides
FAMILY: ASTERACEAE
BOTANICAL NAME: Ozothamnus selaginoides,
Sonder & F.Muell. in Sonder, Linneae 25: 510
(1853)
COMMON NAME: Clubmoss everlasting
COMMONWEALTH STATUS: (EPBC Act)
Extinct
TASMANIAN STATUS: (TSP Act) presumed
extinct
Description
A slender, much branched, spreading shrub between 50-100 cm tall. Leaves: The
leaves are overlapping like roof-tiles and have no stalk. The base is pressed closely to
the stem and causes scars to form when the leaves fall away. The blades are erect or
half spreading with a blunt tip and between 5-7 mm long. Flowers: The flower heads
are creamy-yellow and in dense clusters at the ends of the branches. They are usually
between 10-12 stalkless flower heads surrounded by the upper most foliage leaves.
The inflorescences are oval and between 3.5-5 mm long. It is noted that the flowers
have a sickly scent. Fruit: The fruit is small, dry and leathery with pappus bristles
(ring of scales or hairs found on top of fruit) that are in a single row. They are slender
and thickened at the tips (description from Curtis 1963).
Distribution and Habitat
Ozothamnus selaginoides is endemic to Tasmania. The only records for this species
are of flowering specimens from the Table Mountain area, west of Oatlands. The
plants were collected in November 1845 by C. Stuart and R. Gunn and are currently
held at the Tasmanian Herbarium.
Key Sites and Populations
No extant populations of Ozothamnus selaginoides are known.
Known Reserves
This species is not currently known from any reserve.
Ecology and Management
There is currently no information available regarding the ecology and management of
this species.
Conservation Status Assessment
In April 2000, a population of plants initially thought to be Ozothamnus selaginoides
was discovered at Mt Direction on Hobart’s eastern shore, leading to a change in
status from extinct to endangered at the State level. However, subsequent taxonomic
studies have indicated that the Mt Direction material is attributable to a new endemic
species - Ozothamnus reflexifolius (Leeson and Rozefelds 2003). The conservation
status of this species has been changed back to presumed extinct at the State level
(April 2004).
Further Information
Curtis, WM 1963, The Student’s Flora of Tasmania, Part 2, Government Printer,
Hobart.
Leeson, K & Rozefelds, A 2003, ‘A new endemic Ozothamnus species
(Asteraceae) from Tasmania, Australia’, Aust. Systematic Botany (in press).
Tasmanian Distribution
(As per Threatened Species Unit records, June 2003)
FAMILY: ASTERACEAE
BOTANICAL NAME: Ozothamnus selaginoides,
Sonder & F.Muell. in Sonder, Linneae 25: 510
(1853)
COMMON NAME: Clubmoss everlasting
COMMONWEALTH STATUS: (EPBC Act)
Extinct
TASMANIAN STATUS: (TSP Act) presumed
extinct
Description
A slender, much branched, spreading shrub between 50-100 cm tall. Leaves: The
leaves are overlapping like roof-tiles and have no stalk. The base is pressed closely to
the stem and causes scars to form when the leaves fall away. The blades are erect or
half spreading with a blunt tip and between 5-7 mm long. Flowers: The flower heads
are creamy-yellow and in dense clusters at the ends of the branches. They are usually
between 10-12 stalkless flower heads surrounded by the upper most foliage leaves.
The inflorescences are oval and between 3.5-5 mm long. It is noted that the flowers
have a sickly scent. Fruit: The fruit is small, dry and leathery with pappus bristles
(ring of scales or hairs found on top of fruit) that are in a single row. They are slender
and thickened at the tips (description from Curtis 1963).
Distribution and Habitat
Ozothamnus selaginoides is endemic to Tasmania. The only records for this species
are of flowering specimens from the Table Mountain area, west of Oatlands. The
plants were collected in November 1845 by C. Stuart and R. Gunn and are currently
held at the Tasmanian Herbarium.
Key Sites and Populations
No extant populations of Ozothamnus selaginoides are known.
Known Reserves
This species is not currently known from any reserve.
Ecology and Management
There is currently no information available regarding the ecology and management of
this species.
Conservation Status Assessment
In April 2000, a population of plants initially thought to be Ozothamnus selaginoides
was discovered at Mt Direction on Hobart’s eastern shore, leading to a change in
status from extinct to endangered at the State level. However, subsequent taxonomic
studies have indicated that the Mt Direction material is attributable to a new endemic
species - Ozothamnus reflexifolius (Leeson and Rozefelds 2003). The conservation
status of this species has been changed back to presumed extinct at the State level
(April 2004).
Further Information
Curtis, WM 1963, The Student’s Flora of Tasmania, Part 2, Government Printer,
Hobart.
Leeson, K & Rozefelds, A 2003, ‘A new endemic Ozothamnus species
(Asteraceae) from Tasmania, Australia’, Aust. Systematic Botany (in press).
Tasmanian Distribution
(As per Threatened Species Unit records, June 2003)
