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Actinotus bellidioides
Actinotus bellidioides, sometimes known as the tiny flannel-flower, is a rosette-forming herb endemic to Tasmania, Australia. Its name derives from the genus Bellis (family Asteraceae) combined with the Greek -oides (“resembling”), referencing the leaf similarity to Bellis. Although recorded in Western Australia in 1891 and Victoria in 1944, A. bellidioides is now presumed extinct on mainland Australia and persists only in Tasmania.
Actinotus bellidioides typically grows from sea level to 1200 m in moorlands, sedgelands, scrublands, and other waterlogged, peaty habitats in western and southern Tasmania. These ecosystems occupy roughly 17% of the state and lie mostly on metamorphosed Precambrian bedrock with low mineral content and hardened structure, providing few nutrients. Moreover, wet and cold conditions restrict organic matter decomposition, further limiting nutrient availability. As a result, rainfall is the primary nutrient source. These plant communities often feature Gymnoschnoenus spaerocephalus or Lepidosperma filorme and include various Epacridaceae shrubs that compete with A. bellidioides for nutrients. As well as nutrient-poor conditions, A.bellidioides is adapted to tolerate the constant waterlogging, frost, and the high soil acidity that is also limiting vegetation composition in these peaty habitats.
Pink Flannel Flower · Actinotus gibbonsii · Actinotus glomeratus · Flannel Flower · Actinotus laxus · Flannel Flower · Actinotus minor · Splitleaf Flannel Flower · Actinotus novae-zelandiae · Crimson Flannel Flower · Flannel Flowers
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Actinotus bellidioides by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
