Plant of the Month — September 2009
Cephalipterum drummondii — Pompom Head
Cephalipterum drummondii, a member of the Asteraceae family is a small, slender, erect annual herb to 0.45 m high that forms a glorious floral carpet throughout late winter and spring in the northern wheatbelt and beyond. Tourists come from all corners of the world to view 'paper daisies' such as this species, and the spectacle they create.
The flowers come in colours of white, cream, yellow and pink, and bloom in profusion between July and October. This particular 'paper daisy' enjoys a variety of soils and can be found in the southern regions of the Eremaean Province, and in the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains of the South West Botanical Province.
The generic name Cephalipterum comes from the Greek cephale head + pteron wing, referring to the conspicuous laminae of the compound head. The specific epithet honours James Drummond (1784-1863), a Scot, who was curator of the Cork Botanic Gardens, Ireland from 1809-1828. He subsequently accompanied Captain Stirling, the first governor of Western Australia, on the Parmelia in 1829, becoming the first government naturalist of Western Australia, between 1829-34. He settled at 'Hawthornden', Toodyay and was regarded as the most successful botanical collector of his time, collecting many novel species from the Murchison in the north to the south coast. Over 100 species recognise his contribution to Australian botany.
Photo: E. Wajon
