Swamp Star
Several
Ellura
Swamp Star
Small patch
 
                      
Swamp Star (Actinobole uliginosum)Class: Plants (Plantae) - Land Plants (Charophyta) - Land Plants (Equisetopsida)
Order: Sunflowers (Asterales)
Family: Daisy (Asteraceae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Swamp Star (Actinobole uliginosum)
This Photo:     Profile
Other names: Camel Dung, Cotton Weed or Flannel Cudweed

Thank you Tony and Jenny Dominelli for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere
These are tiny little plants that look more like moss or new seedlings, rather than mature daisies.
They don't seem to have a traditional buds, where the bud comes out then opens. It seems more like the flower grows from within the leaves & pushes out already formed.
On our facebook group, Friends of Ellura, we asked members to come up with a better common name for this beaut little plant.
Ian Gibbins (a strong contributor to our web site) responded with a translation of the latin name:
"actin" means starry or having radiating rays;
"bole" = lump;
"uliginosum" means from the marsh or swamp.
So suggested "Swamp Star". Thank you Ian

While we don't have any swamps on Ellura, we only see this plant when we've had heavy rainfalls in summer & autumn. We also only find them in one spot, in our wettest depression. As such (from both our experience & the latin name), they clearly like wet areas; so we are very lucky to have a patch on Ellura adding to our extensive biodiversity.

Copyright © 2014-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 17-Sep-2014
This species is classed as LC (Least Concern) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)