Platysace linearifolia
Encyclopedia
Platysace linearifolia known as Carrrot Tops is a slender shrub, found growing on poor sandy soils in eastern Australia
, north of Jervis Bay
. It may form large colonies and is easily noticed in the late summer and autumn when covered in small white flowers. It grows from 40 cm to 1.5 metres tall. A feature of this plant is the linear leaves, 10 to 25 mm long, and 0.5 to 1 mm wide. The fruit is 2 mm long and wide, with tubercles.
First collected in Sydney
, it was described by the Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles
in 1799. The generic name is from the Greek meaning “a flat shield”, describing the fruit. The specific epithet refers to the straight thin leaves. The reference to carrots in the common name is due to this plant being placed in the carrot family
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, north of Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...
. It may form large colonies and is easily noticed in the late summer and autumn when covered in small white flowers. It grows from 40 cm to 1.5 metres tall. A feature of this plant is the linear leaves, 10 to 25 mm long, and 0.5 to 1 mm wide. The fruit is 2 mm long and wide, with tubercles.
First collected in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, it was described by the Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles
Antonio José Cavanilles
Antonio José Cavanilles was a leading Spanish taxonomic botanist of the 18th century. He named many plants, particularly from Oceania, his name is abbreviated as Cav...
in 1799. The generic name is from the Greek meaning “a flat shield”, describing the fruit. The specific epithet refers to the straight thin leaves. The reference to carrots in the common name is due to this plant being placed in the carrot family
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
.