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Telopea 8(4): 2000 
Turczaninov (1849) described X. villosa, a herb with trifoliolate leaves with linear- 
cuneate segments and pedunculate, simple umbels of two flowers. However, his type 
specimen, Drummond's 4th collection no. 133, was also cited within the same 
publication as the type for Dimetopia grandis, the base name for Trachymene grandis 
(Turcz.) Rye (Rye 1999). Examination of photographs of this collection confirms it to be 
a Trachymene having simple umbels with numerous flowers. A survey of Turczaninov's 
type specimens at KW found the intended type of X. villosa to be Drummond's 4th 
collection no. 139 (Marchant 1990), a specimen collected at Swan River in Western 
Australia which conforms to Turczaninov's description. As it can only be considered 
illogical for Turczaninov to have intended to publish these apparently homotypj c 
synonyms in the same work, the type citation for X. villosa should be treated as a 
typographical error. Thus the type for the name X. villosa is here lectotypified as 
Drummond's 4th collection no. 139. 
Bentham (1867) listed X. villosa in synonymy under X. pusilla, and X. glabrata was 
reduced to varietal status as X. pusilla var. glabrata. The two species he recognised in 
his treatment, X. huegelii and X. pusilla, were separable by the inflorescence being a 
simple umbel (in X. pusilla) or a compound umbel (X. huegelii). Xanthosia huegelii was 
considered to be restricted to Western Australia, whereas X. pusilla was stated to occur 
in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. 
Xanthosia tasmanica was based upon specimens collected at Circular Head and 
Georgetown in Tasmania (Domin 1907). This species was described as having- 
elliptical leaf segments with the lateral segments sometimes bifid; subsessile, 1-2- 
flowered umbels; and five-ribbed fruit. Ostenfeld (1921) reported X. tasmanica as 
occurring in Western Australia and agreed that the species was different from 
X. pusilla. However, X. tasmanica has not ever been subsequently considered to occur 
in Western Australia. 
Recently Keighery informally divided the X. huegelii specimens in PERTH (sheet 
annotations) into three unpublished subspecies; X. huegelii 'subsp. huegelii' with linear 
leaflets and a compound umbel; X. huegelii 'subsp. aurea', a variant occurring in the 
Eneabba to Gingin area north of Perth, having inflorescences with more numerous 
flowers and broader bracteoles; and an unnamed subspecies 'Southern' with broadly 
elliptic leaflets, occurring in coastal areas in the south of the state. y 
Discussion 
The main features used by previous workers to distinguish the three taxa (X. huegelii 
X. pusilla and X. tasmanica) were leaf segment shape and inflorescence elaboration 
Specimens could be divided into two groups based on leaf segment shape; those with 
elliptic leaf segments, and those with linear, oblong, lanceolate or oblanceolate leaf 
segments (Figs 1 and 2). Within the group with elliptic leaf segments (Fig. 1), the lateral 
segments of the leaves on young plants are often partly to fully divided into two lobes 
he leaves of this group are covered by a sparse covering of long multicellular 
multisenate trichomes. The group with linear, oblong, lanceolate or oblanceolate leaf 
egments (Fig 2) is densely villous to glabrous, sometimes becoming glabrous with 
age. Very rarely, the segments may be broadly toothed (Fig. 2g). The stems and taproot 
of many o the plants with this leaf form excorticate with a£ As t^ToesnoZcul 
ev,VW 8 r P u K ° rthC neW gr ° Wth fr ° m Whkh the infl orescences arise, it is not always 
H her ?T m S P ecimens - The two leaf forms occur at the same locality on 
separate individuals without the presence of intermediate leaf forms ( Hart 95108 & 
