Acanthocladium
Encyclopedia
Acanthocladium dockeri is a critically endangered species of the Asteraceae
family that belongs to the monotypic
genus Acanthocladium. It is commonly known as spiny everlasting or spiny daisy. It is native to Australia
, and is found around the South Australian
town of Laura
.
with spines at branch ends, covered in short white hair. It bears oblong, bumpy fruit.
Spiny everlasting was presumed extinct in 1992, having suffered habitat loss from clearance for winter crops, but various colonies of it have been found around Laura, near the Spencer Gulf
.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
family that belongs to the monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus Acanthocladium. It is commonly known as spiny everlasting or spiny daisy. It is native to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and is found around the South Australian
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
town of Laura
Laura, South Australia
Laura is a rural town in the Mid North - Southern Flinders Ranges region of South Australia, 12 km north of Gladstone on the Main North Road and 40 km east of Port Pirie....
.
Description
The Spiny everlasting is a woody perennial shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
with spines at branch ends, covered in short white hair. It bears oblong, bumpy fruit.
Spiny everlasting was presumed extinct in 1992, having suffered habitat loss from clearance for winter crops, but various colonies of it have been found around Laura, near the Spencer Gulf
Spencer Gulf
The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost of two large inlets on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. The Gulf is 322 km long and 129 km wide at its mouth. The western shore of the Gulf is the Eyre Peninsula, while the eastern side is the...
.