Cynoglossum australe commonly known as the Australian hound's tongue,[2] is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. It is a perennial herb with blue, pink or whitish flowers found in most states of Australia.
| Australian hound's tongue | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Cynoglossum |
| Species: | C. australe
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| Binomial name | |
| Cynoglossum australe | |
Description
editCynoglossum australe is an upright herb 30–75 cm (12–30 in) high, occasionally taller, with stems covered in stiff, backward or downward spreading hairs. Lower leaves are lance to spoon-shaped, flat, 6–20 cm (2.4–7.9 in) long, 10–35 mm (0.39–1.38 in) wide on a petiole 2–10 cm (0.79–3.94 in) long, becoming sessile, wedge-shaped at the base, a pointed apex and decreasing in size near the flowers. The corolla is blue, sometimes pink or whitish, 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long, pedicel 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long, sepals elliptic-shaped to almost triangular, rounded or blunt and enlarging as the fruit ages. Flowering occurs mostly in spring and summer and the fruit is a flattened, oval to globe-shaped schizocarp, light brown to yellowish-brown, 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.138 in) long and covered in spines of varying length on the lower surface.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
editCynoglossum australe was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae.[5][6] The specific epithet (australe) means "Australian".[7]
Distribution and habitat
editAustralian hound's tongue is a widespread species found growing in a diverse range of locations including woodland, grassland, sand dunes and montane forest in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "Cynoglossum australe". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "Cynoglossum australe". VICFLORA-flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ a b Wilson, Peter. "Cynoglossum australe". PlantNET-NSW flora online. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ Cosgrove, Meredith (2014). Photographic Guide to Native Plants of the Australian Capital Territory. Meadow Argus. p. 80. ISBN 9780994183408.
- ^ "Cynoglossum australe". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis. London. p. 495.
- ^ George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 144. ISBN 9780958034197.