Flora of Victoria

Open shrub to c. 1 m high; branchlets and leaf undersurfaces densely tomentose with white to fawn or pinkish, Y-shaped hairs. Leaves alternate (very rarely opposite), subsessile to petiolate, ovate to elliptic, 20–80 mm long, 8–40 mm wide, obtuse to broadly acute, upper surface dark green, finally glabrous or remaining tomentose about the midrib, conspicuously reticulate-veined; margin distantly serrate to biserrate, flat or undulate; petiole to c. 1 cm long. Capitula 22–35 mm diam., in loose corymbs; peduncles usually 10–50 mm long; involucre broadly conical, 7.5–10 mm long; bracts 3–4-seriate, graduating, tomentose to sericeous. Ray florets usually 4–7, white, ligules 9–13 mm long; disc florets 10–14, yellow or brownish. Cypsela cylindric, 6-ribbed, 3–4 mm long, glabrous; pappus bristles straw-coloured or pinkish, 4.5–6 mm long. Flowers Nov.–Jan.

Brid, CVU, Glep, GGr, HNF, HSF, MonT, OtP, OtR, VAlp, VVP, WaP. Apparently endemic. Scattered in cool, well-watered areas from near sea-level in the far south-west to montane forest in western and central ranges (e.g. Lower Glenelg National Park, Mt William and Major Mitchell Plateau, Mt Cole, Wonga Forest near Colac, Matrock, Murrindindi, and Mount Wellington).

A poorly known species with affinities to O. argophylla, O. erubescens and O. megalophylla, and some specimens possibly of hybrid origin. From the first two it differs in the larger capitula and woolly rather than appressed indumentum, and from the third it differs in having alternate (very rarely opposite), toothed leaves. The majority of records of this species in eastern Victoria are likely to be hybrids involving the species discussed above.

Source: Walsh, N.G.; Lander, N.S. (1999). Olearia. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae. Inkata Press, Melbourne.

Updated by: Andre Messina, 2016-07-11

life Life

kingdom Plantae

phylum Tracheophyta

class Magnoliopsida

superorder Asteranae

order Asterales

family Asteraceae

genus Olearia

Higher taxa

species Olearia speciosa Hutch.

Victoria

**Source:** AVH (2014). *Australia's Virtual Herbarium*, Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, <http://avh.chah.org.au>. Find Olearia speciosa in AVH ; *Victorian Biodiversity Atlas*, © The State of Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries (published Dec. 2014) Find Olearia speciosa in Victorian Biodiversity Atlas

Bioregion	Occurrence status	Establishment means
Glenelg Plain	present	native
Bridgewater	present	native
Victorian Volcanic Plain	present	native
Otway Plain	present	native
Warrnambool Plain	present	native
Central Victorian Uplands	present	native
Greater Grampians	present	native
Highlands-Southern Fall	present	native
Highlands-Northern Fall	present	native
Otway Ranges	present	native
Monaro Tablelands	present	native
Victorian Alps	present	native

Bioregions of Victoria

State distribution

State
Queensland
Victoria