Bedfordia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Asterales

Familia: Asteraceae
Subfamilia: Asteroideae
Tribus: Senecioneae
Subtribus: Unplaced Senecioneae
Genus: Bedfordia
Species: B. arborescens – B. linearis – B. salicina
Name

Bedfordia DC., 1833

Type species: Bedfordia salicina (Labill.) DC.
Designated in Orchard (2004)

Synonyms

Senecio sect. Bedfordia (DC.) Baill. (Hist. Pl. 8:259)

References

Candolle, A.P. de 1833. Genres Nouveaux appartenant à la famille des Composées ou Synanthérées. Première décade (1) Archives de Botanique. Paris (Paris) 2:330
Hassler, M. 2018. Bedfordia. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Apr. 10. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Bedfordia. Published online. Accessed: Apr. 10 2018.
Orchard, A.E. 2004. A revision of Bedfordia DC. (Asteraceae). Muelleria 19: 81–94. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2018. Bedfordia. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Apr. 10.

Bedfordia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. The genus includes 3 species, all endemic to Australia.
Description

Bedfordia are shrubs or small trees.

Stems and leaves
The young branches and lower surface of leaves and the whorl that surrounds the flower heads are densely covered with short matted and stellate hairs.[2]

Leaves grow first on one side and then on the other in two ranks along the branches; not paired. Leaf edges are entire or with irregular rounded scallops, and have leaf stalks.[2]
Flowers
Heads in dense axillary branched cluster which is shorter than the leaves. Flower heads have a flat circular shape; and are surrounded by a hairy bract which is at base. Tubular, bisexual florets, scarcely longer than the bract.[2]

Fruits and reproduction
Cylindrical, grooved and not hairy achenes. Pappus bristles are finely toothed and twice as long as achenes.[2] B. salicina intergrades with B. arborescens (a tree) and B. linearis (a shrub).

Taxonomy

The genus was first formally described by Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in the second volume of Archives de Botanique in 1833.[3] The genus name honours John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford.[4]

Species[3]

Bedfordia arborescens (tree blanket leaf) - eastern Australia
Senecio bedfordii F.Muell
Bedfordia linearis (slender blanket leaf) - Tasmania
Cacalia linearis Labill.
Culcitium lineare (Labill.) Spreng.
Senecio billardierei F.Muell.
Bedfordia salicina DC. (blanket leaf) - Tasmania
Cacalia salicina Labill.
Culcitium salicinum (Labill.) Spreng.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bedfordia.

Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (1996-09-17). "Genus: Bedfordia DC". Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
G. J. Harden. "Genus Bedfordia". PlantNET - The Plant Information Network System of Botanic Gardens Trust. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). "Bedfordia DC". Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Retrieved 2008-04-15.
Corrick, M.G. & Fuhrer, B.A. (2001). Wildflowers of Victoria and adjoining areas. Australia: Bloomings Books. ISBN 1876473142.