Leucophyta

Leucophyta
Leucophyta brownii, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Leucophyta R.Br.
Species:	L. brownii
Binomial name
Leucophyta brownii Cass.
Synonyms
Calocephalus brownii (Cass.) F.Muell.

Leucophyta is a plant genus which is endemic to Australia. The genus was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1817.

A number of species which were formerly included in the genus have been transferred to Blennodia and Calocephalus, leaving one single species Leucophyta brownii (also known as Cushion Bush).

Leucophyta brownii is a small, rounded shrub with tangled tomentose branchlets that give it a silvery appearance. It commonly occurs on the exposed faces of cliffs and dunes on the south coast of Australia. Although it can grow up to 1 metre high, it is more usually 0.2 to 0.7 metres high. It produces flowers during summer (December to February in Australia). These are white - yellow globular heads and about 1 cm in diameter.

The species is common in cultivation in Australia, with a selected dwarf form from Tasmania, known by the cultivar name 'Silver Nugget', also grown.

References

• "Leucophyta R.Br.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?taxon_id=35119. 
• "Leucophyta brownii Cass.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?taxon_id=35177. 
• FloraBase – The Western Australian Flora: Leucophyta brownii
• Burke's Backyard: Silver Nugget
• Costermans, L. (1981). Native Trees and Shrubs of South-eastern Australia. Australia: Rigby. ISBN 072701403x.