Kingdom Plantae Family Asteraceae Genus Olearia | Order Asterales Tribe Astereae Rank Species | |
Similar Olearia floribunda, Olearia covenyi, Olearia canescens, Olearia megalophylla, Olearia pimeleoides | ||
Olearia decurrens, commonly known as the clammy daisy bush, is a shrub or subshrub species in the family Asteraceae native to inland Australia.
Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle described it in 1836 in the fifth volume of his Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis as Eurybia decurrens, from material collected by Allan Cunningham in the vicinity of the Lachlan River. The species name decurrens "decurrent" is derived from the leaf base running down the stem.
The plant is a woody shrub growing to 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) high and wide. New growth and stems are covered in resin. The bright green oblanceolate leaves are alternately arranged along the stems, and are 0.7–4.8 cm (0.28–1.89 in) long by 0.1–0.5 cm (0.039–0.197 in) across with pointed tips. Flowering takes place from December to June, the daisy-like flowers having a yellow disc and 3-5 white rays. They are arranged in panicles. The slender seeds are cylindrical, tipped at one end by a tuft with 35 to 50 filaments.
Olearia decurrens is found across inland Australia, from Dubbo and Brewarrina in New South Wales, westwards across Victoria and South Australia and into Western Australia. It grows in Mallee and Mulga scrub, on stony or sandy soil in the former plant community and sandy loam or calcareous soils in the latter.
Seldom seen in cultivation, Olearia decurrens is drought- and frost-tolerant. It grows best in sunny or part-shaded locations with good drainage. Pruning prevents plants from becoming too spindly or leggy.