Pycnosorus

Pycnosorus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Gnaphalieae[1]
Genus: Pycnosorus
Benth.

Pycnosorus is a genus of Australian plants in the pussy's-toes tribe within the daisy family.[2][3]

Pycnosorus grow in wetter conditions everywhere from sea level to the alps. The genus is found in every state of Australia, except Western Australia. The leaves form rosettes and are usually linear. They range in colour from white through to grass green, and are usually covered in fine hairs. The flowers are hemispherical to spherical and are formed of tiny flowers (florets) without any surrounding ligules.

Species[1][4][5]
  1. Pycnosorus chrysanthes (Schldl.) Sond. – Golden Billy-buttons
  2. Pycnosorus eremaeus J.Everett & Doust
  3. Pycnosorus globosus (F.Muell.) Benth – Drumsticks
  4. Pycnosorus melleus J.Everett & Doust
  5. Pycnosorus pleiocephalus (F.Muell.) J.Everett & Doust – Soft Billy-buttons
  6. Pycnosorus thompsonianus J.Everett & Doust

Cultivation

Pycnosorus globosa is a commonly grown cut flower, and is exported to the world from wild collection from around the Murray river. The tall flower stalks, with their yellow spikey spherical heads are very popular, particularly in Japan.

Pycnosorus can be propagated by division by cutting a rosette from a clump or by seed. Seeds from temperate varieties will germinate in days if lightly sprinkled on seed raising media and not covered. Plants are generally only poorly self-fertile. In the wild they grow in very poor soils that are seasonally inundated. In cultivation they appreciate good potting mix, including Phosphorus. Most species are widely grown both as ornamentals and for revegetation work.

See also

A closely related genus is Craspedia. One way to distinguish these genera is to note whether the individual flowers are directly attached to the flower base (Pycnosorus) or are attached via little stalks (Craspedia) .

References

  1. 1 2 Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
  2. ↑ Bentham, George. 1837. Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel page 63
  3. ↑ Tropicos, Pycnosorus Benth.
  4. ↑ "Pycnosorus". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  5. ↑ Atlas of Living Australia
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