Rhodanthe Lindl.

Sunrays

Greek rhodon — rose, anthemon — flower, an allusion to the pink radiating involucral bracts of the type species, R. manglesii Lindl.

Annual or perennial herbs, glabrous to hairy. Stems erect or ascending, little-branched. Leaves mostly along stems, alternate to almost opposite, margins entire, sessile. Capitula diskoid or diskiform, mostly terminal, solitary or in clusters, with or without stalks. Involucral bracts in many rows, overlapping, unequal, clawed, inner ones often with coloured radiating laminas. Receptacle usually without scales, glabrous or hairy, flat to conical. Florets bisexual or innermost functionally male, yellow or purplish. Achenes obovoid or cylindrical, hairy. Pappus of barbed or feathery bristles.

Often colourful, spreading inner involucral bracts that are clawed at the base.

About 45 species from Australia.

Wilson (1992a).

Source: Lawson, L.; Spencer, R. (2002). Dahlia. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.

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kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Asteranae
order      Asterales
family       Asteraceae
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