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Narrogin district Asteraceae (Daisy family) Wildflowers

19/10/2022

 
​Greetings fellow foxies,

Every year, tourists flock north to see mass everlasting displays in the Northern Wheatbelt and pastoral areas.
Narrogin district has many of these wildflowers, which belong to the Asteraceae (daisy) family, also known as Compositae.  Patches of colourful spring everlastings occur in most years, particularly in wandoo-sheoak woodland, and in wet areas.
Picture
Waitzia sp.Harrismith reserve
Picture
Water buttons Wolwolling Pool
Picture
Lawrencella rosea East Yornaning reserve
​​Asteraceae includes spring flowering annuals, which flower in groups and perennials which often occur as scattered plants.
Flowers in this family share the following characteristics:
​
Deceptive flowers occur as a group on a single stem, which looks like a single large flower.
​Think of a sunflower head, which comprises a cup-shaped calyx of scale-like leaves (bracts) enclosing numerous tiny flowers. Flower petals are fused into a tube (corolla) with tiny triangular ends. These are called disk flowers. Often the outer row of flowers has a single large petal-like lobe, which extends out so the flowering head resembles a single flower. These are called rim flowers.
​

Each tiny flower has numerous hairs surrounding the corolla. which enable the dry seeds to blow away easily. 
Picture
Olearia rudis Rough Daisy Bush
Picture
Flowering head interior
Picture
Feathery seeds
I have created three categories to illustrate the variation in design of the flowering head.
​
1. Rim flower species in the Narrogin district. There are also several weed species, which are not shown.
Picture
Olearia ciliata Fringed Daisy Bush
Picture
Argentipallium nivea
Picture
Unknown
Picture
Olearia paucidentata Autumn Scrub Daisy
Picture
Brachyscome pusilla
Picture
Panaetia lessonii
Picture
Podolepsis gracilis
Picture
Trichocline spathulata Native Gerbera
Picture
Senecio pinnatifolius
The following two groups lack rim flowers in the flowering head.
2. Disk flowers only forming a button-shaped head. 
Picture
Podotheca gnaphaloides
Picture
Siloxerus multiflorus
Picture
Craspedia glauca
Picture
Unknown top view
Picture
Craspedia glauca interior
Picture
Unknown bottom view
3. Head with disk flowers surrounded by papery bracts
Picture
Helichrysum leucopsideum
Picture
Rhodanthe citrina
Picture
Rhodanthe manglesii
Picture
Waitzia acuminata
Picture
Disk flowers inside papery bracts
Picture
Pterochaeta paniculata
PicturePollen is presented to insects by a female flower part of the flower
Stamens are not visible in Antheraceae flowers, because they use secondary pollen presentation.
​

​Stamens remain in the base of each flower with the pollen bearing anthers facing the style in the centre. As the plant develops, the style pushes up and collects pollen, which sticks on hairs below the end (stigma). Pollen remains viable on the style for up to a week, after which it dies. Stigma lobes at the end of the style then open out to expose the active female surface to be fertilised by pollen from other flowers

Individual flowers produce a drop of nectar at their base. They don't all mature at once, but start on the outside and mature inwards often in a spiral fashion. This induces insects to repeatedly visit the flowering head and visit each flower as it changes from pollen presentation to the pollen receiving phase.


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