834 LXV. COMPOSITE. 



83. HELICHRYSUM. 



(From the Greek helios, the sun, and chrysos, gold.) 



(Petalolepis and Faustula, Cass.; Ozothamnus, R. Br.; Swammerdamia, DC; Lawrencella, 

 Lindl.; Argyrophanes, Schlecht.; Chrysooephalum, Waip.; Conanthodium, A. Gray; 

 Xanthochrysum and Argyroglottis, Turcz.; AcanthoclS,dium, F. v. M.) 



Involucre from broadly hemispherical to narrow-ovoid or cylindrical, the 

 bracts imbricate in several rows, either entirely or their laminfe rigidly or 

 opaquely scarious or petal-like, more or less spreading or rarely appressed. 

 Receptacle flat, convex or almost conical, without scales (or very rarely a few in 

 the centre amongst sterile florets). Florets either all hermaphrodite, tubular, 

 and 5 rarely 4-toothed) or a few in the circumference (very rarely 1 or 2 outer 

 rows) female, slender but not longer than the others, 2 or B-toothed, a few of 

 the central ones sometimes sterile. Anthers with fine tails. Style-branches 

 nearly terete, truncate or rarely with small conical tips. Achenes angular, terete 

 or slightly compressed, not contracted at the top, glabrous papillose or rarely 

 silky-villous. Pappus of capillary bristles simple or more or less barbellate or 

 plumose at the end, not distinctly plumose from the base, those of the female 

 florets often fewer or rarely wanting. — Herbs undershrubs or shrubs, with leafy 

 stems, usually more or less clothed with cottony wool. Leaves alternate or the 

 lower ones very rarely opposite, entire. Florets yellow, the laminue of the 

 involucral bracts usually white, yellow, brown or pink, often varying in all these 

 colours with intermediate shades in the same species. 



A large genus represented in most warm and temperate regions of the globe, especially 

 numerous in S. Africa and Australia, but without any cosmopolitan species, the Australian 

 ones being all endemic. The limits to be assigned to the group are very uncertain, as it is 

 connected with so many others by almost insensible gradations. The radiating or irregular 

 female florets which separate Podolepis and Athrixia are, in P. Lessoni, P. rutidochlamys, and 

 A. tenella, and sometimes in P. canescens, but little different from those of Helichrysum, 

 Ixiolcena passes into Helichrysum through I. tomentosa and H. podolepidemn, Leptorhynchus 

 through L. ambiguus and L. tenuifolius, which are very near the section Chrysooephalum, and 

 yet cannot be generioally separated from L. squamatus. The plumose pappus of Helipterum is 

 not very distinct from the strongly barbellate pappus of Lawrencella, or the semiplnmose one 

 of Chrysocephaluvi. The more numerous female florets of Chrysocephalum, and the elastically 

 spreading involucre of H. colUnum and its allies, connect Helichrysum with Eaoitlia and 

 through that genus with the Eugnaphaliecc, whilst through Helipterum and Gephalipterum there 

 is a gradual passage into the Angianthece. And many other connections with other genera of 

 Gnaphaliete may be traced through South African and northern forms. We are obliged, there- 

 fore, as in the case of AsteroideiB, to make arbitrary demarcations, in order not to unite the 

 whole tribe into one unmanagealjle genus. Those here adopted are the best that have sug- 

 gested themselves after much consideration, although it must be admitted that in some instances 

 they are not altogether satisfactory. — Note on the genus given by Bentliam, Fl. Austr. iii. 612. 



Section I. Iiawrencella. — Annuals. Involucre hemispherical or campanulate, the outer 

 hrown sessile and appressed, the inner ones with colov/red radiating lamina. Achenes with erect 

 transparent obtuse liairs (or elongated papillce), or the centre ones so7iutimes abortive and glabrous. 



Branches compact. Peduncles very short. Involucre ovoid-campanulate 



with yellow or white rays 1. H. semifertile. 



Section II. XerocblSBna. — Perennials, sometimes almost woody at the base, rarely also 

 annual. Involucre broad, hemispherical, the outer sessile broad bracts passing more or less 

 gradually into the intermediate or inner ones with scarious or linear claics and radiating 

 coloured lamina (scarcely conspicuous in H. rutidolepis). Aclienes glabrous, papillose or rarely 

 shortly villous. 



Flower-heads singly terminating the branches on long peduncles. Pappus- 

 bristles simple at the base, barbellate or almost plumose towards the 

 end. Involucral bracts not ciliate, the intermediate (yellow) not twice 

 as long as the florets. 



Stems mostly erect and single headed. Involucre f to lin. diameter . 2. H. sccyrpioides. 



Stems decumbent, often branched. Involucres not exceeding Jin. 

 diameter 3. H. rutidolepis. 



