Scaevola albida
| White fan-flower | |
|---|---|
| In the ANBG | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Goodeniaceae |
| Genus: | Scaevola |
| Species: | S. albida
|
| Binomial name | |
| Scaevola albida | |
| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
List
| |
Scaevola albida, commonly known as pale fan-flower[2] or small-fruit fan-flower,[3] is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a prostrate to ascending perennial herb with egg-shaped to elliptic leaves, sometimes with toothed edges, pale blue or white fan-shaped flowers and elliptic fruit.
Description
Scaevola albida is a prostrate to ascending perennial herb that typically grows up to 50 cm (20 in) high with stems sometimes covered with soft hairs. The leaves are elliptic to egg-shaped, wavy, bright green, semi-succulent and slightly hairy, 0.6–5 cm (0.24–1.97 in) long, 1–25 mm (0.039–0.984 in) wide, margins smooth or toothed, and sessile. The flowers are borne in upper leaf axils on stems up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long, with five white, pale blue or lilac petals, 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long with white, more or less flattened hairs on the outer surface. Flowering occurs mostly from October to January and the fruit is an urn-like shaped, usually one-seeded, papery fruit 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
Thi species was first formally described in 1794 by James Edward Smith who gave it the name Goodenia albida in the Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, from specimens collected by John White in Port Jackson.[5][6] In 1917, George Claridge Druce transferred the species to Scaevola as S. albida in The Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles.[7][8] The specific epithet (albida) means "white".[9]
Distribution and habitat
Pale fan-flower grows near coastal scrubland, grassy headlands and ranges in New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Scaevola albida". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ a b c Carolin, R.C. "Scaevola albida". PlantNET-NSW flora online. Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Scaevola albida". VICFLORA-flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Garden Victoria. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "The Native Plants of Adelaide". Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^ "Goodenia albida". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Smith, James Edward (1794). "An account of two new genera of plants from New South Wales, presented to the Linnean Society by Mr. Thomas Hoy and Mr. John Fairbairn". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 2: 348. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Scaevola albida". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Druce, George (1916). "Scaevola albida". The Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles (2): 644. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780958034180.