Kingdom Plantae Family Asteraceae Genus Olearia | Order Asterales Tribe Astereae Rank Species | |
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Similar Olearia covenyi, Olearia canescens, Olearia megalophylla, Olearia floribunda, Olearia astroloba | ||
Olearia ballii, commonly known as the Mountain Daisy, is a shrub in the daisy family, Asteraceae. The specific epithet honours Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball who, while commanding HMS Supply in 1788, discovered and named Lord Howe Island, where the plant was subsequently collected.
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Description
The plant grows as a dense shrub up to 1.5 m in height. The leaves are small (5–12 mm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide) and crowded on the stems. The flowers have 20–30 ray florets, 8 mm long, white with purple tips; there are about 40 disc florets, 4 mm long and purplish. The fruit is brown and ellipsoidal, 3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is endemic. to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It is found from an elevation of 400 m upwards to the tops of the mountains, where it is common.