Asperula gunnii

Asperula gunnii, the mountain woodruff, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is a perennial herb that is endemic to Australia.

Asperula gunnii
Asperula gunnii, Baw Baw National Park, Victoria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Asperula
Species:
A. gunnii
Binomial name
Asperula gunnii
Synonyms

Asperula oligantha var. gunnii (Hook.f.) Maiden & Betche nom. illeg.
Asperula gunnii var. curta (Hook.f.) Airy Shaw & Turrill
Galium curtum Hook.f.

Description

Leaves are usually arranged in whorls of 4 to 6 and are 4 to 8 mm long and 2.5 mm wide with pointed ends. White flowers are produced in summer in terminal or axillary cymes. Male flowers are around 2 mm long and female flowers are 3 mm long. These are followed by 1 to 2 mm long black fruits.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Asperula gunnii occurs in damp or swampy conditions in grasslands or wooded areas at high altitudes in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales.[1]

Taxonomy

Asperula gunnii was first formally described by the English botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1847[2] based on plant material collected by Ronald Gunn near the Nive River in Tasmania in 1840.[3]

References
  1. "Asperula gunnii". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  2. Joseph Dalton Hooker. (1847) London Journal of Botany 6: 463 Asperula gunnii
  3. "Asperula gunnii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
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