Big-headed New Holland Daisy

Images ©:
©Adrian Shackley

Vittadinia megacephala

Perennial herb with stems and leaves densely hairy. Large daisy flowers with mauve to purple petals (ray florets) and fluffy seedheads. Leaves spade-shaped to 30 mm long with a soft sharp tip.

Details
Flora Type
Herbs
Former Scientific Name
Vittadinia australis var. megacephala
Distinctive Features

Single erect stem to 25 cm arising from a leafy base, Coarse spreading dense hairs on stems and leaves.
Biology

Perennial. Sandy soils in mallee and woodland. Fluffy seeds dispersed by wind.
Native Status
Native
Flowering Time

Sep-Nov
Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Asterales
Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Vittadinia
Species
megacephala

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

Some can only be identified using a hand lens looking at the shape and texture of the seed. After the Italian fungi expert Carlo Vittadini (1800-1865). Extinct in Tas.

Interesting Facts
Native Status
Native