Stellate hairs and pink sepals on a closed Thomasia flower The name 'Velvet Bush' comes from a dense cover of short hairs on foliage and flowers. They are commonly called paper flowers because of the papery sepals surrounding the small flowers.
Characteristics are
Characteristics are
- Small to medium shrubs.
- Flowers and foliage are generally covered with stellate (star shaped) hairs, which can give them a furry or prickly appearance.
- Mostly pink/purple flowers composed of coloured sepals; (petals are tiny or absent.)
- Flowers lack nectar, and are buzz pollinated by generalist native bees, which feed on pollen released from stamens that form a column surrounding the style.
- Dry fruit, which release seeds.
Orriginally in the Sterculariaceae family, they have been amalgamated with other former families by taxonomists into a large Malvaceae family using genetic analysis. As an amateur I am confused. Florabase, has dual identification for these genera.
Top of page -Malvaceae / genus (Thomasia, Guichenotia, Lasiopetalum)
Below Family Sterculariaceae (Subfamily Byttnerioideae), Tribe Lasiopetalae.
To the average person Thomasia and Guichenotia species are very similar.
Thomasia
The most common species in this area are Thomasia foliosa and Thomasia macrocalyx. They both have small pink flowers composed of sepals with a single midrib, which are joined about halfway up to form a corolla tube. Although not showy, the flowers have a delicate interior. They flower in June-July.
Top of page -Malvaceae / genus (Thomasia, Guichenotia, Lasiopetalum)
Below Family Sterculariaceae (Subfamily Byttnerioideae), Tribe Lasiopetalae.
To the average person Thomasia and Guichenotia species are very similar.
Thomasia
The most common species in this area are Thomasia foliosa and Thomasia macrocalyx. They both have small pink flowers composed of sepals with a single midrib, which are joined about halfway up to form a corolla tube. Although not showy, the flowers have a delicate interior. They flower in June-July.
Thomasia macrocalyx is a tough hairy shrub with 1cm flowers, which I see in granite or dolerite rock soil. There are no petals, only pink sepals surrounded by green bracts. The smooth ovary is enclosed by large longish dark heart-shaped stamens, which open at the top. When native bees fold over the flower tip and buzz their wings, powdery pollen is sucked up through pores at the end of the stamens and lodge into the bee's body hair, and the flower stigma is fertilised by pollen on the bee from other flowers.
 Thomasia macrocalyx |  Sepal removed to show interior |  Stamen removed to show ovary |
 finished flower note hairy ovary Thomasia foliosa occurs in Foxes Lair on mafic red loam. It has red stamens surrounding a white hairy ovary. |  Red stamens |
Guichenotia have have narrower leaves and several ribs in the calyx, but the difference is subtle. Luckily the two species in the Narrogin area, G. macrantha and G. micrantha which occur on sandier soils are very similar. The exterior of the sepals have dark coloured hairs, which show up as a star shape when taking an photo of the flower with the sun behind it. Makes a great image.
 Guichenotia macrantha Yilliminning townsite reserve |  Image looking into the sun |
Lasiopetalum
Thid genus can easily be distinguished from Thomasia and Guichenotia by the sepals, which lacks ribs and are split almost down to the base. I found Lasiopetalum microcardium at Harrismith Nature Reserve.
Thid genus can easily be distinguished from Thomasia and Guichenotia by the sepals, which lacks ribs and are split almost down to the base. I found Lasiopetalum microcardium at Harrismith Nature Reserve.
 Lasiopetalum microcardium |  Lasiopetalum microcardium |
Now a few Red Herrings
Cyanostegia lanceolata is in the Malvaceae family, but has both petals and sepals and isn't hairy. But they do have light patterned , light coloured sepals, when the ring of dark purple petals I have also been fooled by the petals, particularly when they are folded as being dark Malvaceae anthers.
It flowers in September on gravelly soil and has stunning flowers, which glow from a distance with the sun behind them.
Cyanostegia lanceolata is in the Malvaceae family, but has both petals and sepals and isn't hairy. But they do have light patterned , light coloured sepals, when the ring of dark purple petals I have also been fooled by the petals, particularly when they are folded as being dark Malvaceae anthers.
It flowers in September on gravelly soil and has stunning flowers, which glow from a distance with the sun behind them.
 Cyanostegia lanceolata at Tutanning |  Cyanostegia lanceolata East Yornaning |  Late flowering stage Newman Block |
Halgania anagalloides in the Boraginaceae family also has small flowers with a calyx, blue petals, and a protruding ring of buzz pollinated anthers, which is also shared with Solanaceae (tomato) flowers. it is smallish shrub.
 Halgania anagalloides |  Halgania anagalloides |
More information on identication
Seednotes
Seednotes